Wine tasting and Decanter awards

Yesterday evening I attended my third event of the Sussex Wine School. At this the instructor Johnny brought six of his own wines to be tasted blind and another attendee contributed two. Once again two young ladies to my left and opposite, sat down at the long table and began texting. A wine tasting is a social event so why not break the ice by introduction and conversation rather than remain locked in your own world? Its the sort of uncivil behaviour that our parents might have stopped but very much a feature of modern life.

I do pride myself on my memory but not for wine. I totally failed to recognise a Gruner Veltiner even though I’m extremely partial to this Austrian wine and have it in my cellar. I did not have the Badenhoorst red from Svaartland South Africa but have its Papagaai in white and Secateurs rose, both of which I regard as mediocre though now popular. The lady contributed white wine from Lyme Regis which did not attract much favour and more interestingly a Chateau Boujac from the Haute Garonne near Toulouse. Price was provided last. The best value was a Cote du Rhone Chateau Laudun at £11.99 from Majestic and The Poggioargentiera from Southern Tuscany £9.99 from the same merchant.

By wine number 4 ther group was much merrier. The rather nerdish man I recalled from last time but who did not acknowledge me had enough in him to start chatting to the young Claudia Cardinale lookalike and never stopped. My neighbour Eva even stopped texting to tell me she came from Hungary and you could not rely on her native Bulls Blood as it could come from anywhere.

I showed Johnny the latest Decanter Magazine.The Tinpot Hut Sauvignon Blanc we tasted last time was judged exceptional by the Decanter panel of experts. Of more interest to me was the pride lauded on Te Mata in Hawke’s Bay North Island New Zealand. An old friend John Buck started this winery and his Coleiaine is rightly considered New Zealand’s greatest red wine.