See below for what happened.........

Wines Under Down Under

(Wines of New Zealand)

The evening’s tasting shall include a variety of varietals from the beautiful land of New Zealand.  A local wine steward from a fine shopping establishment helped with the selections and shall be present to provide some descriptive information regarding the wines and suggestions for food pairings.

Aperitif

The aperitif shall be a sparkling wine with a Framboise raspberry twist.

The Wines

Wine varietals to be tasted include: Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Noir

Finale

The finale will include a Marlborough Ice Wine.

Should be a nice evening for you and your Valentine  (Men…. Don’t forget the flowers this week).

Cheese, “Baked” Brie and Breads will accompany the wines.  Coffee and Dessert will follow the tasting.   Please bring your own glasses & pens. No smoking or strong fragrances. Attendees recognize they will consume alcohol and assume responsibility of having done so.

Attendance will be limited to the first 32.  Reservation deadline is Tuesday, February 14, 2006.

Members  $21.00            Guests   $23.00

What Happened.........

This tasting, in the form and spirit of Valentines Day, with lots of red and pink, was arranged and conducted by Jeff and Sandy Czarniecki with help from Ed and Betty Nelson.  Thirty members and guests were in attendance.

It started with a sweetly celebratory aperitif, a sparkling wine with a dash of raspberry dessert wine. 

Korbel Brut and Bonny Doon Framboise

The Riesling followed, accompanied by breads and two goat cheeses flavored with pepper, and with garlic and herb.  

2003 Villa Maria Private Bin Riesling

Then the Sauvignon Blancs, two from New Zealand and one from South Africa.  There was Baby Swiss cheese added to our plates.

2005 Matua Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

2004 Nobilo Regional Collection Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

2005 Mulderbosch (South Africa) Sauvignon Blanc

 

As time passed we also received some biscotti with a little dab of jam.  And some chocolate kisses. And then some specially baked Brie. 

The Pinot Noir was served and we finished with a very nice New Zealand Ice Wine.

2004 Tohu Marlborough Pinot Noir

2004 Selaks Premium Selection Ice Wine

All of the wines were well received as the down under wineries served us well.  A hand vote indicated no preference among the Sauvignon Blancs. Though different from each other, all were equally liked.  The dessert wine was much appreciated.  It was made of Gewurtztraminer and Riesling, retaining 120 g/l of sugar which approaches the high end of sweetness.

We closed with coffee and Sandy’s toffee oatmeal cookies, topped with raspberry.