Sauvignon de Touraine – Chéreau Carré des Petits Faiteaux
Touraine is a very important Loire region, centred on the town of Tours. Soil and climate vary considerably throughout Touraine, where a large range of grape varieties are planted. The Sauvignon Blanc grape tends to be grown in the far east of the region.
Chéreau Carré is one of the leading Muscadet producers with substantial family owned vineyards in some of the best locations in the Loire. Their vineyard area totals 267 acres of the highest quality soil, making them one of the largest producers of wines from the Loire Valley.
Our choice for the Old World – New World Wine Tasting Dinner, the Sauvignon de Touraine is produced in much smaller quantities and provides a very good alternative to its more costly neighbours further up the Loire Valley – Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé.
Grapes: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Vinification: Grapes are crushed. Fermentation takes place at 18oC in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. The wine is racked before being bottled.
Soil: Sand and clay.
Serve: Chilled at 9oC. To accompany shellfish, seafood and fish.
Taste: Subtle aroma of Sauvignon; a crisp and dry wine with a very pleasant fragrance.
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Tuatara Bay, Sauvignon Blanc, Saint Clair, Marlborough, New Zealand
The almost extinct Tuatara, cousin of the dinosaur, is still to be found on Stephens Island in the Marlborough Sound, not far from Saint Clair’s vineyards, and gives its name to a pair of their fruit driven Sauvignon and Chardonnay wines.
Grapes: 100% Sauvignon grapes from Wairau and Awatere Valley vineyards of Marlborough
Vinification: In temperature controlled stainless steel tanks.
Colour: Green with straw tinges
Serve: Chilled as an aperitif or to accompany seafood, white meats and light pasta dishes.
Taste: A well rounded and fresh wine with a delicate aroma of sweet honeysuckle, tropical fruits and a subtle hint of herbs.
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Pinot Noir, Domaine de Régusse, Vin de Pays des Alpes de Haute Provence
Domaine de Régusse is situated in Haute Provence, at the beginning of the Luberon Mountain, 45KM from Aix-en-Provence.
The Domaine consists of 250 hectares of vines, planted at an altitude of 450 to 500 metres above sea level. Nineteen different grape varieties are grown on the Domaine one of which is Pinot Noir.
Grapes: 100% Pinot Noir
Vinification: In temperature controlled vats
Maturation: 15 months in French oak casks.
Colour: Bright red
Taste: Aged in oak for 15 months, this wine shows the typical strawberry fruit of Pinot Noir with good structure and length.
Serve: At cellar temperature to accompany poultry, white and red grilled or roasted meats or meaty fish such as tuna or monkfish.
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Chalten Pinot Noir 2007
This Argentinian Pinot Noir is fragrant and pleasantly smoky, with light cherry fruit with a little earthy background, and very pleasant texture and delicate spiciness. There are hints of cloves and nutmeg on the nose with velvety and spicy tones on the palate. This elegant, good bodied wine is produced in the cooler Patagonia region which suits the Pinot Noir vines very well.
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Chateau de Campuget
Chateau de Campuget is a top quality family owned estate in Costières de Nimes with a history dating back several centuries. The secret of its success is its reliance on the best grapes - Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Viognier, Marsanne and Roussane, planted in the stony soil, like that of the Rhone, which reflects the sun and enlivens the vines. In its cellar, tradition and progress unite to provide aroma, finesse and bouquet. Chateau de Campuget deploys a wide range of traditional Rhone cépage to produce full flavoured, fruity and spicy wines with great character.
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LE CAMPUGET Vin de Pays du Gard, Syrah – Viognier
Grapes: 99% Syrah and 1% Viognier
Vinification and Viticulture: The grapes are vinified seperately, fermented at a cold temperature and then carefully blended to make this cuvée, which is unoaked to retain its fruitiness.
Tasting Note: Fragrant nose, voilets and soft blackfruit characters make this wine refreshing and easy to drink.
Serve: Match with full flavoured red meat dishes.
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Berton vineyards Soldier Farms old vine Shiraz - Viognier
Established by Bob & Cherie Berton in May 1996 with 75 acres, the heart of Berton Vineyards is their own personal plot in a sub-region of Eden Valley in South Australia. This idyllic property sits at 450m above sea level on gently rolling hills – except for the Chardonnay block which is anything but gentle!
The first vines were planted in the spring of 1996 – ten acres of Shiraz and seven acres of Chardonnay – but without any permanent water. It was not until 1998, after the new dam was filled, that the vines finally had a decent drink!
With all this, the vines struggled through their impressionable years. Lots of love and attention, but the lack of water really retarded their growth, so much so that a Swedish friend jokingly told them that they had planted a bonsai vineyard….the name stuck and later became the name of their premium Shiraz. With the good rainfall in High Eden, the vines are in great condition these days, but they still remember the early days every time they open a bottle of the Bonsai.
After the dam was full they were able to follow on and plant Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier.
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Berton vineyards Soldier Farms old vine Shiraz - Viognier
Grapes: 94% Shiraz, 5.3% Viognier, 0.4% Chardonnay and 0.3% Barbera.
Region: Riverina
Serve: This wine can accompany just about any red meat.
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Tasting Notes: This Old Vine Shiraz is a wonderful expression of old vine fruit. The nose shows, amongst other aromas, black cherry, plum conserve and roasted coffee notes. The palate has a real presence; it is full, generous and expressive. It shows some lovely sweet spicy tannin that gives a subtle support to fleshy black fruit which makes the palate at once rich and supple.
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Château Ksara Moscatel de Ksara NV
Ksara Estate lies in the heart of the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon where the ruins of the Temple of Bacchus from the Greco-Roman era can be found. It is called Ksara because it was the site of a ksar or fortress at the time of the Crusades. The property was acquired by the Jesuits in 1857 when it was already famed as a vineyard, and they maintained the tradition of winemaking on the estate.
Climatic conditions in the Bekaa provide Ksara’s vineyards with exceptional advantages. There is almost no rainfall during the growing season and diseases seldom strike the vines. Their grapes can be considered to be grown organically because pesticides and herbicides are not used. Harvesting is done by hand, but there is no need for selection because the grapes achieve full ripeness without fear of rot.
Château Ksara is the largest producer in the Lebanon with 334 hectares and 38% of the local production.
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MOSCATEL
Grapes: Muscat de Frontignan, Muscat de Hamburg & Gewurztraminer, that are late harvested in September.
Vinification: Grapes are hand harvested and gently pressed in a pneumatic press, allowing the concentrated juice to run free. The alcoholic fermentation is slow and arrested by the addition of alcohol once the desired degree of residual sugar has been reached.
Maturation: The wine is fined and cold stabilised, preserving the aromas.
Taste: A complex Muscat nose with floral and citrus aromas, accompanied by melon and honey. On the palate it has lovely fresh tropical flavours with a balancing sweetness.
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Tamaya Sweet Goat Muscat 2006 - half bottles
This exciting new estate was founded in 2001 and covers 210 hectares in the Limari Valley. The brand new winery is equipped with all the latest technology. The Limari Valley, situated 400 km north of Santiago is fast becoming recognized for its special micro-climate which is ideally suited to grape growing. It enjoys low average annual rainfall, average summer temperatures lower than those in the Central Valley further south, ideal day/night temperature differences and over 300 days of sunlight per year.
Grapes: Muscat of Alexandria 90%, Chardonnay 3%, Sauvignon Blanc 3%, Viognier 4%
Vinification: The grapes are sent directly to the press upon reaching the winery. The juice is extracted using very light pressure, collected in a stainless steel tank and statically decanted to reach an adequate degree of limpidity to initiate yeast inoculation. The juice is then transferred to a fermentation tank, where selected yeasts are added to highlight the natural aromas of the grape. Alcoholic fermentation takes place very slowly at 10°-12ºC (50°-54°F). Upon completion, the wine is racked, filtered and stabilized.
Taste: Dominated by aromas of apricots and quince, with notes of toasted almond and caramelized citrus, coupled with a light touch of rosehip jam. With a balanced, lively acidity, it displays a marvellous floral finish seasoned with candied and dried fruit that envelop its structure.