This month’s wines were selected by Wine Merchant Ann et Vin based in Newark. Ann brought with her Raj Solanki to present the wines. Raj is a wine educator with over 20 years experience in the wine industry, initially starting his career with Majestic. Raj now runs his own business Fat Finch, offering WSET (Wines and Spirits Education Trust) courses. These can be undertaken at Ann Et Vin (see www.annetvin.com or www.fatfinchwines.co.uk for more details)
Eight wines were tasted throughout the evening and were all from the wine growing regions of Australia. All wines selected were great food pairing wines but also very drinkable on their own. The wines scored on average a 5 out of 7 but a couple of them had the room divided. The wines tasted included a sparkling Rose from Victoria priced at £17.50, a Riesling from Eden Valley priced at £11.50, a Viogner/Pinot Gris from New South Wales priced at £9.75, a Grenache from McLaren Vale priced at £22.50, a Sangiovese/Shiraz from Barossa priced at £16.50, a Tempranillo/Petit Verdot/Graciano from Margaret River priced at £17.00, a Zinfandel from Margaret River priced at £18.50 and a Frontignac/Gewurztraminer Frizzante from Barossa priced at £10.50. Raj was extremely knowledgeable about the wines he presented and the evening was enjoyably educational with a great balance of humour and banter too. The names of some of the wines we tasted certainly got the groups talking. Especially the Sangiovese/Shiraz which was named ‘The Squids Fist’ by Some Young Punks and the Frontignac/Gewurztraminer from the Rude Mechanicals named ‘Suck it and See’!!
Ann brought with her a great supply of wine so that those attending the evening had the opportunity to purchase cases if they so desired. This was warmly welcomed.
Two people at the end of the night said how much they enjoyed Raj’s presentation and how he kept his audience interested throughout.
The last wine of the evening was the ‘Suck It And See’ Frizante. A light, very fruity, sweet sparkling wine with aromas of Rose and Lychees. Described by the wine makers Rude Mechanicals as perfect for ‘sex and picnics’ Roll on summer I say………..
If you would like to purchase any of the wines mentioned above please visit www.annetvin.com.