Five Wines Closer To Sophistication

Last night, it being a wednesday, I invited several friends over for a night of cheese-nibbling, nut-munching, and of course wine-tasting. The higher purpose was to increase our knowledge of the world's wines, and in that we were more-or-less successful. So for those of you also wanting to tread the long road to sophistication but unwilling to swill five bottles of wine for the sake of a tenuous goal, here is my review with short descriptions you can bring forth in front of friends to appear worldly:

Moscato Spumante, Sperone, Italy

The seasoned advice of Steve O. guided us in the selection of our order, based on the chance each wine had of destroying our palate for following ones. Moscato is my third-favourite type of wine, so this was my favourite of the bunch we had, but I compare it to other Moscatos for the sake of fairness. It's a passable Moscato, light and not very sweet. In this is the matter of taste most apparent, as Steve opined it was perfectly in the middle of not being too sweet and not being sweet enough. Gabo described it as like the sweet juice of pears.

Description: "Sweet and tangy, like a casual friendship with a cute girl."

Chardonnay, Brown Brothers, Australia

Brown Brothers is my favourite vineyard, and produce my favourite wine (Cienna and Cabernet) so I was unsurprised at the quality of this wine. It has a woody, white oak flavour but not too strong -- it doesn't wrap your tongue like a bespoke coffin like some do. Others suggested that the quality was because the oak doesn't hide the flavour of the fruit.
Description: "Woody and relaxed, like lounging on a wooden park bench watching pretty girls go by."

Malbec, Bodega Del Fin de Mundo, Patagonia

Malbec is apparently "a region of immense beauty with countless landscapes where the final touches of creation can be traced" according to the vineyard. From the start this wine was enjoyable, as I had a lot of fun saying "Patagonia" with a strong westie accent. Ahem. Onto the wine, I found it very hard to categorise, with Steve noting it had a bit of perfume to it and decreeing "It's a good Malbec, but it's not extraordinary". I thought it had a strong flavour, slightly fruity, and decided to use the word "cloying".

Description: "Cloyingly fruity, like a nice but libidinous girl with a crush on you, and is persistant to the point of being slightly annoying."

Bordeaux, Sichel, Médoc, France

It was at this point in the night that I was informed that red wine was not meant to be served chilled. For me, a drink should be either warm and comforting or cold and refreshing -- anything at room temperature reminds me of my own sweat. And with that delicate analogy in mind, let's talk about Médoc. I found the flavour soft and watery, but was assured the fruity flavours would come out as the wine warmed up. They did, but by that stage it was mostly gone. Karla thought it tasted of grapes, while Steve was left hanging: "I don't know, it's a very young taste...it leaves something to be wondered." For myself, the word tantalising came to mind.

Description: "Light and tantalising, like an innocent girl in a slightly translucent dress."

Cabernet Sauvignon, La Ronciere, Rapel Valley, Chile

This wine was strong, nutty, fruity and earthy, and left you felt like you'd been mugged by a bunch of grapes. Sara suggested it "tastes of blood". Probably a good one to end the night on.

Description: "Like a luscious girl sitting on your knee."

Posted by: JEQP