Taste Test

Shanghai’s most committed dipsomaniacs get together to share and compare some of the wines around town. It’s a no-nonsense guide to the good, the great and the bloody ordinary of wine. Which wine will win the day this month?

Attendees

Mat Ryan – partner in The Shed

Alan Duffy – partner in The Shed

Dean Lapthorne – Area Manager for Sirromet Wines (Australia)

Lachlan Dyer – manager at Big Bamboo

Concha y Toro Marques Casa Concha Chardonnay, Chile 

I’m actually quite familiar with this wine, having drunk quite a lot in my years at Cuvee. Alan asked if it was Californian, which was a fair question as it does have that vanilla oakiness to it typical of those wines. He thought, “It’s not as big on the palette as it is on the nose.” Lachlan believed it was quite light for the style. “A good wine to start with,” said Deano, with Alan chipping in with an “aye”. Lachlan declared it a good summer wine and best paired with a good salad or even chicken wings. Being from Canada, he would probably eat it with their renowned seafood, which would probably be a fair choice to be honest. “Mussels and clams,” shouted out Deano, as he took another swig. A couple of the lads tweeted it might be a bit pricey, but I happily pointed out that a similar style wine from California is going to be quite a bit more.

Price: RMB 259

La Vieille Ferme Rosé, Rhone Valley, France

I violently pulled the cork out in anticipation, as Deano has been talking this one up for a long time. It’s his most purchased wine in China and in fact, I happen to know he buys it by the magnum. None of this 750ml, five glasses per bottle for him, he wants the big ones. I poured it out for the lads and was instantly caught by the colour. Deano declared it light in colour, but I’d put it as more of a funky purple. He was happy to drink this sitting around with three other guys, while the rest of us reckoned we’d prefer a few girls. Honestly, I thought it was a bit too dry. “Quite pleasant,” mused Alan, whilst Lachlan, having not really had a lot of rosés in his life, thought “it had a dry finish, but in a good way”. We made a phone call to the laoban at The Wine Way, to confirm our suspicion that it was mostly Grenache, and not Shiraz as we’d first assumed. Anyway, in the end, conflicting views, but for the price, you can’t complain. “With a dessert, not a salad,” was Alan’s final word.

Price: RMB 135

D’Arenbourg The Footbolt Shiraz, Australia

Alan and I were at this vineyard earlier this year, actually – sensational cellar door. It’s an absolutely beautiful setting, in amongst the Gum Trees of McLaren Vale. “Lots of pepper,” said Alan. “Chester [the winemaker] can make a bloody good wine,” chirped in Deano, following up with “this is the archetypical Aussie Shiraz, full of pepper and spicy”. Lachlan was very impressed with this. He’s not normally a massive wine drinker – probably more a beer guy – but he said he’d definitely buy it. “It doesn’t have the heat of an Aussie Shiraz that you’d expect,” said Alan. “Lamb rack, lamb rack, lamb rack and roasted potatoes,” Deano shouted out. I think we all agreed it was a very good wine, without that high alcohol hotness that many Aussie Shiraz have.

Price: RMB 279

Summary

Lachlan pointed out they were three very different wines, but, judging by everyone reaching for the Footbolt, the Shiraz is this month’s the winner.

All wines are available from www.pudaowines.com