Meeting 334 -"Summer Wines - Italian whites"
Friday 13th August 2010 Neville Hall, Waltham St Lawrence
To begin this marathon tasting of 14 wines, Daniel gave a short background to the
Hallgarten Druit company.
The House of Hallgarten was created in 1933. In 1972 the company became part of the German based WIV group.
With the company going from strength to strength, Hallgarten relocated to a purpose built office and bonded
warehouse in 1989. Then in 1996 Michael Druitt Vintners added to the company a specialised service
selling to hotels and restaurants in the London area. In 2008 Hallgarten and Michael Druitt formally came
together as Hallgarten Druitt.
All of the wines Daniel offered for our tasting were Italian whites, with the exception of the Nero d'Avola supper wine.
The wide range of grapes gave a good coverage of the well known and not so well known varieties, but all were chosen to provide
fairly easy drinking, lightish wines just right for a warm summer afternoon. Most were £10 a bottle or less.
By racing through the tasting to cover all 12 of the
main group, we were bombarded with a wide range of flavours in a very short time. Altogether, a very enjoyable experience.
I for one didn't seem to have enough time to decide what food might go best with each of the wines.
But perhaps that was the best part of the event: in that, except for 2 or 3 of the offerings, the whole idea was for us
to just think about easy drinking on a bright , warm day!
As usual, Charlotte provided an interesting variety of dishes to complement
the wines.
These included: Parma Ham and Figs, Beetroot, Brochetta, Ricotta Cannelloni
and a warm salad of Italian Black Pudding and Beans. The dessert was an Almond Sorbet with Almond Biscuits.
(JF)
| Aperitif: Prosecco di Conegliano, Extra Dry NV DOCG Carpenč Malvolti
An easy drinking sparkler made by the Charmat process. Perfect on the patio on a warm summer's day. |
9.22 | 7 |
| (1) Vernaccia di San Gimignano DOCG, Cantina Bonacchi, 2009
A very pale wine. Light citrus nose and taste. Nothing more than an unpretentious slurp. |
5.79 | 6+ |
| (2) Tramin Pinot Grigio, Alto AdigeDOC, 2008
Another pale wine. Elderflower nose. Light citrus body with a hint of ripe oranges. |
8.41 | 6+ |
| (3) Verdeca 'Masseria Torre Rossa' IGT Puglia, 2008
Aka verdicchio. Rich and fruity lemon and lime with a long finish. | 5.96 | 7 |
| (4) Gavi di Gavi 'Fossili' DOCG, 2009
From the Cortese grape. Much hype about G di G. This seemed to be very drinkable but might not stand up to anything but lightly flavoured fish - the traditional food accompaniment . | 7.80 | 6+ |
| (5) Roero Arneis DOCG 'Parvo', 2009
Good example of the fragrant flowery nose of Arneis. Good fruit and enough acidity to produce a long clean finish . |
7.80 | 7 |
| (6) Fiano di Avellina DOCG, 2008
Herby nose.Very full body with orange and exotic fruits . |
11.08 | 7+ | (7) Tocai Friulano Collio DOC, 2009
Liquorice on the nose. Almost nutty and light fruit body . |
9.17 | 7+ |
| (8) Dinaridi del Duca Grillo IGT di Sicilia, 2008
Complex nose - nettles, spice and lime. Very full (lemon) body. Extra weight is given by 10% of the wine being kept in Oak. |
7.50 | 7+ | (9) Pomino Bianco DOC Frescobaldi, 2009
The white version of the Frescobaldi 'Pomino' range of wines - 100% chardonnay. Fermented in Barrel. Very full lemon and lime fruit. Long finish. |
10.08 | 7+ | (10) Tramin Gewurztraminer Alto Adige DOC, 2009
An almost perfumed, nose. Hint of turkish delight. Very soft and easy drinking - probably too easy! |
10.39 | 7+ | (11) Serra Fiorese Verdicchio di Castelli dei Jesi Classico Superiore DOC, 2004
The yellow colour reflects the late harvesting and barrel fermentation of this wine. Altogether a richer lemon fruit body than the previous wines. Well worth the top marking. |
12.21 | 8 | Supper Wine: Negroamaro 'Masseria Torre Rossa' IGT Puglia 2008 | 5.41 | NS | Dessert Wine: Passito di Pantelleria DOC, 2009 | 7.80/half bottle | NS |