Evaluation on the wine course

The first week of December already passed and it's these moments that make me wonder how time can pass by so fast. And people say, it's the time of the year to reflect on your past actions and see how you can do better the coming year.
For the first evaluation, I'd like to write about the wine course. I know, I haven't blogged about everything yet, so it's also the opportunity for me to finish the wine course blogs.

The last 2 wine classes are more about distinguishing the old world and the new world wines and tasting the differences between all kinds of wines. We had some Barolo from Italy and a Medoc from France, which are both well-known to winedrinkers. The Barolo was not that tannic as I thought it would. Later I've learned that most Italian wines are not that tannic, but quite smooth on the palate.
We even had some ice wine!!!

It is the Pinot Noir Ice Wine from Mt. Boucherie. This is one of the more expensive ice wines. Pinot Noir is a very finicky grape, which means it's very hard to grow.

The tasting notes from the Mt. Boucherie site:

"Aromas and flavours of ripe dark berries, honey & caramel with a wonderful long finish. Pair with berry desserts or on its own as an after dinner treat"

For me, it was very sweet, but in a good way. Not that kind of sweet that makes you sick, but the kind where the sweetness hits you and leaves you behind with the wonderful notes of the wine. For me, it tasted like cherry-filled chocolate.

For the final class, we had a gathering first at Tulip Supermarket, where we got some pointers about buying wine. We all chose a bottle of wine and headed back to 'the classroom' to have our exam. Since the wine class is all about enjoying and no stress, the difficulty was kept at a middle level. And the final result: I'm the best winer of class Fall 2012. We all got a certificate and I also got a wine stopper. My token of victory:

Then it was time to party!! Not only did we all have our own bottle of wine, the instructor also had some and another couple also came with some. And not to forget the feast meal of Hortence. She really did a wonderful job putting all those snacks on the table.
These were the wines we chose:

 

Bottle no. 1: The 'Las Brujas', literally meaning the witches, is an Uruguayan wine. Not a very popular country for wines, but surprisingly good. It's made of the Tannat grape, which originally was a French grape and is now one of the prominent grapes in Uruguay.

 

The tasting notes of this wine:

"Excellent balance between acidity, fruit and tannic astringency. From strong style, balanced and structured ripe tannins, is expressed by the path of black plum jam filling his mouth"

 

My own experience:

It has a peppery smell and taste, have some notes of Cabernet Sauvignon and mild to taste.

 

Bottle no. 2:  The Heresford Highwood is a Shiraz from Australia.

 

Winemaker's Note:

Colour: Dark cherry with brick red hues

Bouquet: A complex aroma of blueberry, spice and oak overtones

Palate: Soft and elegant with rich berries complemented by mocha and spice. Subtle oak characters add complexity

 

This one tasted very tannic and have a sharp taste to it. So sharp that I actually feel it burn in my stomach. Probably that's the high level alcohol in the wine.

 

The 3rd bottle was the Alma Mora, a Malbec Reserva from Argentina. If you look at it real plain, drinking wine is like travelling the world in the comfort of your house.

It has a great nose, but quite tannic. From the information I got from other sites, I read that this wine can be cellared up to 7 years and I also believe that after cellaring, the tannins will soften and this will become a great wine.

 

Then it's my bottle of wine: The Lenotti Rosso Passo from Italy, a blend of the Sangiovese and Merlot grape.

Info from the net:

Sangiovese and Merlot are two grapes extensively grown and widely appreciated in Italy. Sangiovese is internationally renowned for its well-balanced structure and savory flavors. It also happens to be Italy’s most planted grape variety, one that has found considerable success in various New World regions. Merlot, on the other hand, is a relatively new addition to Italy’s stable of wine grapes, but production volumes have increased exponentially since the 1990s.

 

This has a very fruity bouquet. Tasted much lighter and fruitier than the other 3. It even tasted like a pinot noir.

 

Next to these 4, we also had some other wines:

Two of them are rose's, which in taste was totally different.

One is the Jean Sablenay, which is made from the Cabernet Franc grape. This grape is one of the Bordeaux grapes, that is not too popular and it is even found to be the ancestor of other Bordeaux grapes like Carmenere, Malbec and Merlot.

 

The other one is the Rendez Vous Thuerry, a grenache, merlot rose. This is also the one I'd blogged about in ' Rose or blush? They are just the same'. ( I kept my promise!! )

According to clubwijn's page, this wine find its origin in the valley's of the Verdon river. It presents a trendy version of a well balanced, light orange colored rose, with bouquets of summery fruits like cherries. The finish is spicy and very welcoming.

           

For me, the Jean Sablenay tasted very acidic yet fruity. Where the Rendez Vous is a bit drier. If I'd closed my eyes, I wouldn't have quessed that the Jean Sablenay was a rose. It tasted more like a red than blush.

 

People always say that where there's a beginning, there's and end. So my wine course came to and end and of course I didn't expect it to last forever, but I still have my wine mates to have wine tastings together. And for those who are interested in this course, I'd say ' go for it'.

 

It does cost quite a bit (SRD 750,-), but I'd say worth every penny. Not only do we get the knowledge, but if I'd had to add all those bottles of wine together, I think he actually didn't make any profit on us. Furthermore, there's wonderful snacks from Hortence to complement the wine. So if you're interested, just call Mr. Edward Cabell at 07110505 for further information. From what I've heard he's starting a new class in January.