Past Meetings
Thanks to Peter Adams for these notes!
February 2007
Michael Palij M.W. visited us for the second time in four years and presented a fine range of single estate Italian wines. Italian wines are Michael’s passion, and he delivered his talk with his usual gusto and enthusiasm, taking no prisoners with his blanket condemnation of everything “New World”. Our appreciation of his wines varied nearly as much as the prices, which ranged from £6.50 a bottle for a pretty ordinary Trebbiano d’Abruzzo to £42.00 a bottle for the top wine (but not the best) of the night, a Barolo Monprivato from the Mascarello estate. Top marks went jointly to two whites (unusually), a Soave Classico and a Gavi di Tassarolo, together with a 1999 Chianti Classico Reserva.
March 2007
The return of another Lincoln Wine Society favourite saw Andrew Bennett (then) of D’Vine Wines and The Farmer’s Arms, present some very high quality Australian boutique wines. Best (and most expensive at £30.00) wine of the night went to a Mitolo Serpico from McLaren Vale, a Cabernet Sauvignon vinified by first racking and drying the grapes in the Amarone style. This was a knock-out wine which scored a maximum seven across the board. Another good tasting from Andrew.
April 2007
Neil Courtier from Wine Educators International presented an evening of Chilean wines. Neil’s delivery was both knowledgeable and interesting. However, he showed us little that isn’t readily available in the supermarkets, when we’d normally see a more out-of-the-ordinary selection. Still, you can’t win them all.
May 2007
A French miscellany from 3D Wines. 3D is a Lincolnshire company who specialise in finding vines for rent, which can be kept for one’s own amusement, or given as a gift. The fun is in visiting the vineyards and buying your own wine. They presented a very good range of wines from all across France, and had some excellent and unusual wines at very reasonable prices. This made for a fascinating and very different evening.
August 2007
Bill Laverick from Vinpromo in York came to us for the first time in August. He brought with him a selection of eight Spanish wines, none of which scored less than 5 out of a possible 7 on our marking system. Bill was lively, enthusiastic and knowledgeable; a Geordie who could probably sell Northumberland sand for the bunkers of Dubai golf courses! A highly entertaining presentation of some terrific wines, including a fabulous Albarino from Rias Baixas, Serra da Estrela, and a lovely 2001 Rioja Reserva from Mayor de Ondarre. Methinks we shall be seeing Bill again!
September 2007
Jayne Bridges M.W. came as a last minute replacement for the owner of Las Bodegas, importers of wines from Argentina. Her robust, opinionated and no-nonsense style certainly left us in no doubt as to where she was coming from, and her enthusiasm for the subject was infectious. She was sent with some very good wines, too. The 2005 Gouguenheim Malbec was perhaps the star of the evening, nearly black, yet virtually tannin-free; extraordinary. Another good night of knowledge and entertainment.
October 2007
We saw Paul Mapplebeck give the first Norman Tate Memorial Tasting. He brought some incredible wines, all from his own cellar, Rhône reds and Alsace whites. Fortunately for us, he had paid sensible prices for most of them when first released, which was just as well, because when you learned that the 2003 Clos des Papes Châteauneuf-du-Pape currently sells at £95 a bottle and the Vieux Telegraph at £50, most of us won’t get many opportunities to taste their like. Top of the whites was 2005 Zeyssloff Muscat, whilst the top scoring red wasn’t one of the most expensive, but a humble 2003 Ch des Hautes Ribes Vacqueyras which sells out at just £13. Another justification for not letting on the prices until after we’ve marked.
November 2007
Another first timer to Lincoln Wine Society, and another local trader. David Brammer gave us a selection of German wines. Never an easy evening, bringing German wines, mainly because of our pre-conceptions and memories of the Black Tower we all started on! David nonetheless brought some very passable wines with him, including an excellent Sheurebe Sekt from Weingut Kreiselmaier in the Pfalz to start. The best of the rest was probably the 2004 Alcolon Dornfelder / Limburger blend which produced a bright cherry colour with a very pleasant, light, fruity palate.
December 2007
This month it was down to the committee to supply and present two whites and two reds, before the evening degenerated into a pre-Christmas opportunity to chat to those people you never usually get the chance to. We kicked off with a Prosecco, and then presented a New Zealand Riesling, a Spanish Albarino, a French DdP d’Oc Red and an Australian Durif. The extra bottles of these were then made available to the attendees to have with their sausage rolls, cheese, bread & mince pies. An appropriate way to round off the year.