Wine News

Harvest 2004 Edition

In this Edition: Hempies du Toit and Annandale Wine Estate
What's in the bottle? Catherines festive season wine choices
Touring with Cath...

My recent wine tour lasted 14 days and I think my liver rejoiced when the tour came to an end! I had a group of twenty Finnish(ed) wine lovers who were intent on preserving their vital organs! It became customary to end each dinner with either a brandy or grappa. It was interesting to note the casualties the morning after.

A member of the group provided me with a copy of a local Finnish wine catalogue and once again names jumped out at me that I had never heard of let alone seen. Try these for size: Sound of South, Leo South African, Pebble Park Chardonnay. Average retail price – 5,50 euros.

Apart from the serious wine lovers, I get to meet so many people who just wanna go and enjoy wine! I am all for that, but what comes to light on many of these trips is that so many people feel intimidated when tasting wine. They feel awkward about nosing the wine, even commenting on the bouquet! In essence they feel out of place. I love these instances, because it is here that my role becomes important. There is no right or wrong answer when tasting wine; what you nose (smell) and taste is personal. Unfortunately, there is a perception that in order to accurately identify the characteristics of the wine one has to come armed with a crystal ball!

Relax folks, this is meant to be fun. The truth is that the more you practice the better you become.

 
So many bottles, so little time…
Touring with Cath....
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