The eclectic bunch
Happy Last Tuesday in October Club Members!
I can’t believe it has been over a month now since I have been sending you these newsletters! I am over the moon to see how many of you are reading it. Thank you and welcome to those who only just joined us on our wine journey.
It has been a bit cold and rainy here but since the nights are settling in faster, I am spending more time researching and discovering new wines. I have three of them for you today and guess what, there is one in there that I didn’t enjoy that much.
New club member? Why don’t you head to our Home page where you can catch up on tips and reviews and all our favourite wines.
Today’s mood calls for ….
Eclectic whites
We have taken the Accidental Tuesday Night Wine Club to the next level! I have previously mentioned how much more time I have been investing in finding the most suitable bottles for the evening but recently I started a different approach.
Same grape, different countries or regions, from lighter wines to more full-bodied ones, building up to that momentum as they say. So last week we decided to try three whites, from three countries, all rather unique.
Friend and I had some expectations and as you will see, surprisingly, it was the cheapest bottle that won over our hearts.
We started the evening with a quick glass of Prosecco whilst deciding on the order of the night and made the decision to open Tuna Club Verdejo Sauvignon Blanc first. And what can I say, for the price, £7.99, this was way over our expectations! I don’t usually hype myself up over wines at that price but I kinda loved this one. Welcoming notes of freshly cut melon and citrus on the nose, this brings back memories of hot summer afternoons in the garden. Lovely pale lemon colour, refreshing and crisp. White peachy aromas and light minerality on the palate. I thought it might have a very short finish, especially because it felt so light. But it didn’t. Long and juicy with a bright texture, you will keep asking for more. And only 12.5% so you can allow yourself a couple of sips on a weeknight.
A fantastic little surprise for under £10!
Name: Tuna Club Verdejo Sauvignon Blanc
Origin: Vino de la Tierra de Castilla, Spain
Grape: Verdejo, Sauvignon Blanc
ABV: 12.5%
Notes: Fresh melon and citrus on the nose, white peach on the palate. Juicy and refreshingly long finish, light minerality
Price: £7.99 from my local wine shop but you can find it at Waitrose for £7.49 or at Ocado for £10
Recommend with: On its own this is great, as an aperitif, thinking of warmer days
Where: Tuna Club Verdejo-Sauvignon Blanc | Ocado
The Fiano!
Oh, I adore Fiano! I always felt this is such an underrated, mysterious, Italian grape. It can be a little intense sometimes, a bit full on but when you get the right bottle it is absolutely fantastic.
Wild & Wilder Cloud Cuckoo Land White, however, is not from Italy. These guys in Riverland, Australia are using Mediterranean varieties to make delicious, low-intervention wines.
I knew this bottle wouldn’t let us down. So vibrant, so exciting, every little sip had a different story to tell. With mouth-watering aromas of almond blossom and a touch of honey, there was always something new to add to the already interesting palate. Ripe pear aromas appeared later on alongside a bit of quince. Dry Muscat flavours came along by the Zibibbo and Greco grapes which blend so well with Fiano. Orange, ginger, the list just goes on with this one! An exotic, smooth and textural white with a hint of mystery and a lot of stories. It will definitely spice up your Tuesday night!
Name: Wild & Wilder Cloud Cuckoo Land White
Origin: Riverland, Australia
Grape: Fiano, Zibibbo, Greco
ABV: 13.%
Notes: Very aromatic with almond blossom, honey, orange peel. Notes of ginger and a touch of nutty flavours too. Dry, great minerality, silky, textural wine
Price: £15.50
Recommend with: A fantastic accompaniment to Italian pasta dishes but would highly recommend it with pork. It stands up to red meats really well
Where: Wild & Wilder Cloud Cuckoo Land White – Latitude Wine & Liquor Merchant
That third bottle…
Well, you know what’s coming, our last bottle of the evening. The one I didn’t like. I thought a lot about this wine and I didn’t want to write anything but Chef and Friend persuaded me that I should so here it comes.
Eve Chardonnay from Charles Smith. If you read my previous posts you will remember I love Charles Smith wines. The Velvet Devil, Boom Boom Shyrah and let’s not forget Kung Fu Girl Riesling, all fantastic wines. Somehow I didn’t try Eve for maybe until a few years ago. I wasn’t a fan then. So when Friend picked it up last week I thought, ok, let’s give it another go. And after those years, I had the same feeling. Maybe it is just me as I am sure a lot of you would enjoy this, we all have so different palates, don’t we?
But every time I had a sip, I felt flat. Lots of character, pears, tangerine on the nose, you know it is going to be a big, full-bodied one. And somehow, it just didn’t deliver for me. Imagine you are preparing for a big jump but last minute you decide to have a tiny little skip instead. It felt exactly like that. Was it because we had those surprisingly beautiful wines before? Was the order wrong? I don’t know. I really wanted to like this. But will try it one last time, maybe as a first bottle.
Charles Smith Eve Chardonnay | Ocado
Next time…
The story about the wine glasses I couldn’t fit in, jazz with wine, going for reds
Have a grape day!
The 4pm Club