Live Wine Tasting has kicked off again at Moleside and our first session after more than 18 months proved both welcome and surprisingly revealing.
Our expert mentor Trudy brought along the selection of wines we would have tasted had lockdown not prevented our sampling them in March 2020. And they came with a surprise for all of us. A New Zealand pinot noir from a top class maker that she had, a year and a half ago, noted as ‘brilliant’ we all found disappointing – including Trudy.
Those of us who believe that time in the bottle tends to improve a wine found that it’s not always as simple as that and we will in future remember that when a wine really tastes brilliant there’s no harm in enjoying it there and then.
But most of the March 2020 selection had kept well including a white Fiano from Puglia. That was a nice surprise for us devoted Puglian red afficionados; and we were delighted with a couple of really great reds, including a Sicilian, and a cracking sweet white wine from Portugal.
Although the weather does not generally play a large part in our tastings, the need to keep The Steeples’ windows prudently open made us appreciate the warm sunny conditions. Not sure how we’ll fair when it gets colder – we may have to try a gluhwein / mulled wine session…