Half a dozen friends came round for the wine tasting, and we decided to call ourselves the Glug Club. The first flight was Sauvignon Blanc. Although planting patterns suggest this grape is ever more popular, many people I know can’t stand it: they feel it’s just too sharp and too citric. In this tasting, I wanted to get away from the standard green and yellow fruit stereotype, so the idea was to start with a classic citric Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa, then move on to a more complex example from the Loire valley and then finally, something completely different from New Zealand.
Stellenbosch Hand Crafted Sauvignon Blanc 2021
Wine of Origin, Stellenbosch
Full on high acid flavours of apple, lemon and bell pepper. This was the only wine at the tasting that didn’t get finished. It was just too sharp, and the finish had a tight, sour astringency.
Pouilly Fume “Melody” 2021
Domaine Andre at Edmond Figeat
The fume means “smoky” and it’s thought that this quality comes from the flint and pebble soils in this part of the Loire Valley.
“Home Block” by The Hunting Lodge, 2021
The Hunting Lodge, Waimautu
And now for something completely different. This wine is fermented from indigenous yeasts, with lees contact and then aged in oak barrels. It is very good.
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