Wine Talk: Taste Test February 2012
By: Mat Ryan
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
Dean Lapthorne – Sirromet Wines
Luke Haggett – Beer peddler
Eric Oetting – BDM De Refter bar
Sirromet Sparkling Chardonnay/Pinot Noir & Sirromet Sparkling Red
We tackled both of these together, as we had a few wines to get through. These were added bonuses, a palate cleanser before the main game. Out of the Granite Belt in Queensland, as with all of today’s wines, these are from a relatively young and developing winemaking area. The white is made with the Champonois method, meaning it’s all fermented in bottle. Luke liked it, saying, “Very good, a bit of sweetness. I’m not a wine dude but I can appreciate that.” I did like it, but maybe a bit sweet for my liking, although I see why most people would enjoy it. The red is 100 per cent Petit Verdot, which is a little unusual. “Is it like a lambrusco?” asked Luke, followed by a very quick “no” from Dean. A new style of wine to all of us, we didn’t really know what to make of it. We probably should have finished with it, but to be fair, we did finish it off at the end.
Price: RMB 278/375
Sirromet Vineyard Selection Verdelho
Luke gave it a good smell, saying, “For my non educated palate, it’s bloody good – a bit like the Pure Blonde (beer) of wine. Nice and light.” Dean likes it because it is an easy drinking white, not hugely acidic. I’ve never been a huge Verdelho fan, but as just one or two glasses with dinner, this could be good. Luke and Eric both expected more fruit. “A safe bet for the blue collar brigade,” said Luke. Watching him, I could tell he actually did like it very much. In the end we agreed it would be an awesome spritzer wine. Add some soda water, sit on the balcony on a balmy evening and it’d be great.
Price: RMB 278
Sirromet Signature Collection Merlot
Alan joined us for the start of the reds with a feed of fish & chips, freshly cooked from my new favourite place: The Sailor’s. Approachable was the general consensus for this wine. Luke was an absolute huge fan, proclaiming, “This is what Halle Berry would taste like.” I think we were all a bit surprised by this wine. Not saying that the others were below par, but this one stood out. I suppose the weather had something to do with it, but it was a perfect wine for this time of year. This wine was the only one to be emptied during the tasting (of course we finished them all off afterwards).
Price: RMB 375
Sirromet Sun Wine
The grape is a Chambourcin. I’ve never heard of it, and it seems no one else had either. To me it smelled musty at first. Luke puts it with desert, probably a trifle. I wasn’t sure what a trifle was, even though my grandmother was a damn fine cook. Dean probably summed it up perfectly: “It’s an after-dinner. Settle down to listen to your grandfather tell stories with a glass of this and an espresso.” Massive ‘legs’ on this wine, which is of course indicative of the high alcohol content (21.9 per cent). It’s neither a port, nor a red wine. It sits somewhere in the middle.
Price: RMB 375
Summary
It’s safe to say the merlot was the winner. The Sun Wine was the most argued over, and I will admit, initially I was the most against it, however it did open up better than the others. Perhaps mistakenly we served it slightly chilled, and it became more approachable as it moved towards room temperature, but we still gave it to the merlot.
All wines available from The Wine Republic. Web: www.thewinerepublic.com
