NetGalley

Reviews Published

Friday, October 27, 2006

Bored with good wine?

“I rather like bad wine,” somebody once said. “One gets so bored with good wine.”
They must have been insane.

I’ve had some good wine lately. Kanonkop Pinotage 1998 that’s strong on berry, yet well-rounded, and was it a hint of chocolate there at the back of the throat? It almost made me forget my latest love: Waipara Hills Waipara Pinot Gris - Gold Medal And Trophy Winner, which gave me apricot and almond in a creamy texture. Then there was the surprise: Wild South Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2006 - I don't usually do Sauv Blanc, but I was tempted this once, and the one-lunch stand proved exceptional, with just the right amount of citrus and lime.

I’ve also had some exceptionally bad wine. A bottle of corked Villa Maria Reserve that tasted of fizzy burnt car tyres, for example. It provided many a laugh, but, ultimately, I would have preferred to taste the unspoiled thing.

I also tasted a few high-end bottles of New Zealand Pinot Noir, which would have been ok in isolation, but I had the misfortune of tasting them in a comparison match between New Zealand and French wines. I ended up spitting out most of the New Zealand ones. I mean, how can you drink a Pegasus Bay when you have a Nicolas Potel Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru La Combe au Moine 2002 next to it?

So if you are ever bored with good wine, please let me know. I’ll give you the address to which you can ship it.

No comments: