NEXT MEETING – THURSDAY 5 APRIL – INTRODUCTION TO WINE-TASTING – IT’S FUN!
This is a repeat of one of the most enjoyable and successful tasting evenings by the Cape Wine Lovers’ Society. I assume no knowledge – it’s great if you have though too – as we sample 6 wines: 3 white and 3 red wines, all from the nearby Constantia Valley. Do you know your Sauvignon Blanc from your Chardonnay? Or a Chenin Blanc? What about a Shiraz? Is this the same as a Syrah? How do you tell a Cabernet Sauvignon from a Merlot? How do you even taste wines in the first place? I’ll be sharing tips and tricks to help you enjoy your wines. Please come along and enjoy an evening of fun and learning. Bring your friends too!
Meeting: Summer Rosés – Tuesday 24 October
Tuesday 24 October Summer Rosés
Meeting: How to Taste Wine – Tuesday 28 September
Tuesday 28 September How to Taste Wine
Tasting Italian Cultivars South African Style – No Need to Buy Italian Wines!
Thursday 24 August 2017
Italian wines were the theme for our 9th Society Meeting. I like to vary the monthly themes between regions and cultivars, other topics too, and so this made a perfect choice. I had been inspired to choose Italian wines after tasting wines at the Vineyard Hotel by Italian importer Nobile Collezione, based in Somerset West. However, I soon realised from tasting visits to Waverly Hills, Morgenster and Steenberg estates that there was no need to buy expensive Italian wines. Why not explore instead the Italian cultivars grown and made into wines from our very own vineyards in South Africa? And so, a seed was born.
Meeting: Learn about Italian Wines – SA Style
24 August Italian Wines – SA Style
Italy is the new France! South African wine styles are changing. There’s a move from away from some classic Bordeaux to Rhone varietals/blends to wines using the excellent Italian cultivars.
Learning about How Wine and Food Pair
Thursday 15 June 2017
Did you know how our sense of smell affects taste? Perhaps you have a blocked nose or been a heavy smoker? Try pinching your nose and then eating an orange segment. Can you taste the orange? Most likely not or not much. Open your nose and you will feel the rush of orange taste flooding your mouth. Did you know that our tongue and mouth have about 9,000 taste receptors and that these are replaced every 2 weeks? Or that a quarter of people are ‘supertasters’ with a heightened sense of taste, particularly for bitter foods?
Learning about Wines with the Cape Wine Lovers is Super Cool
Thursday 18 May 2017
The regular wine tasting evenings are a highlight of my month. Today was no exception. I had chosen the wines of Elgin and Hermanus for a mix of reasons: I was unfamiliar with wines of the area; the wines are high quality; and Walker Bay had been suggested to me for a future tasting evening.
Vertically Challenged Amid the Big 5!
Tuesday 9 May 2017
I had long been excited for this meeting. ‘Vertical tasting’ is one where wines from successive vintages, usually consecutive ones, are tasted and compared side-by-side. They are usually offered at specialist tastings and typically for red wines with their more pronounced ageing process. I had never undergone a ‘vertical tasting’ of white wines.
Blind Drunk!
Thursday 16 March 2017
The ‘blind’ tasting of low and high priced wines was one I had been excited about for a long time. I shall repeat the evening again so this will be a short article and hence the SPOILER alert. The concept is easy but great for learning and great for fun: 1. take 8 bottles of wine (4 whites, 4 reds); hide in ‘blind’ tasting bags; pour, taste and evaluate; discuss style, variety, price and preference; reveal, and enjoy!