A Time with Friends

 

As we turn the last few pages in the diary for 2021 and reflect on the year, it is hard to believe it would turn out to be so similar to 2020, if not quite as bad. As far as I can remember (it’s a year ago now and the memory has faded somewhat) we did not have a wine club event in November 2020 (there is no evidence of it on the blog). So, there is one improvement we did manage in 2021.

The November meeting is the final soiree of the year for the Wine Club. It is a time to come together to relax and to chat with friends and have fun, this year in the form of a quiz created by one of the members of the new committee, Mark Stuart-Thomlinson.

In former years, a large table would have been set up at one end of the village hall onto which everyone piled a veritable feast of homemade dishes. The result is a table groaning under the weight of a magnificent buffet. This year, however, the sharing of food was restricted to individual tables, but a fine fare was still had by all.

As is the tradition, the Wine Club supplied the wines on the night and as expected the choice was excellent. For those wishing to pop to their local supplier to get wines from the selection provided on the night, they were:

Frexinet Cordon Negro Brut (Cava)

• Grape Variety: Macabeo/Parellada/Xarel-lo blend
• Alcohol Content: 11.5%
  
• Vineyard: Frexinet
• Region: Catalonia
• Country of Origin: Spain

Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc

• Grape Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
• Alcohol Content: 13%
• Vineyard: Stoneleigh
• Region: Marlborough
• Country of Origin: New Zealand

Yealands Sauvignon Blanc

• Grape Variety: Sauvignon Blanc
• Alcohol Content: 12.5%
• Vineyard: Yealands Wines
• Region: Marlborough
• Country of Origin: New Zealand

Graffigna Malbec Reserva

• Grape Variety: Malbec
• Alcohol Content: 13.5%
• Vineyard: Graffigna
• Region: Pedernal Valley
• Country of Origin: Argentina

Porta 6 (Red)

• Grape Variety: Tinta Roriz (50%), Castelão (40%), Touriga Nacional (10%)
• Alcohol Content: 13.5%
• Vineyard: Vidigal
• Region: Liboa
• Country of Origin: Portugal

The label is an original painting by Hauke Vagt, an eccentric German painter, who lives in Lisbon.

The quiz was quite testing. Four rounds with some, naturally, focusing on wine. For those wishing to be reminded of the top 10 wine producing countries they are (as of 2020);

1. Italy 4,910,000,000 litres
2. France 4,660,000,000 litres
3. Spain 4,070,000,000 litres
4. USA 2,280,000,000 litres
5. Argentina 1,080,000,000 litres
6. Australia 1,060,000,000 litres
7. South Africa 1,040,000,000 litres
8. Chile 1,030,000,000 litres
9. Germany 840,000,000 litres
10. China 660,000,000 litres

And here are the names of the various sizes of wine bottle.

1. Split 0.187l
2. Piccolo 0.2l
3. Half 0.375l
4. Standard 0.75l (1 bottle)
5. Magnum 1.5l (2 bottles)
6. Bouble Magnum 3.0l (4 bottles)
7. Jeroboam 4.5l (6 bottles)
8. Imperial / Methuselah 6.0l (8 bottles)
9. Salmanazar 9.0l (12 bottles)
10. Balthazar 12l (16 bottles)
11. Nebuchadnezzar 15l (20 bottles)
12. Melchior 18l (24 bottles)
13. Solomon 20l (28 bottles0
14. Melchizedek 30l (40 bottles)

Alpaca was the answer to one of the questions in the Revue of 2021 round. Poor Geronimo was the alpaca who had to be put down because he tested positive for bovine tuberculosis. You can read his sad story by following this LINK.

Interestingly alpacas have been in the news again recently, but this time their story is a much happier one, so, you may wish to read this BBC Report instead,

During your reflections of 2021, you might ask yourself, “Is there such a thing as a lucky table?” and the answer would appear to be, “Yes, there is such a thing”; at least going by the experience of the November Wine Club event. One table, let’s call it Table 1, not only won the quiz, getting a bottle of splendid wine each, but also won both prizes in the raffle. Well done them! I was delighted for them, not least because I was on the table!

All-in-all it was yet another delightful occasion and a lovely way to spend a cold, dark Friday evening.

I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of the committee, old and new, to thank everyone for their continued support and attendance. It is often said that it is the members that make a club, this is absolutely true, and that without them the events could not happen. This is less true. The committee could still arrange the bimonthly events and wine tastings, but it has to be said, without the members attending them, they would be rather dull affairs. So do please keep coming, as I am sure you will.

And finally, we wish you a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year and look forward to seeing you all in 2022. 

In the meantime, enjoy your wines. 

Why not tell us, in the comments below, which wine(s) you plan to toast the New Year.

A very Warm Welcome

Welcome Back to Members

The Freeland Wine Club’s second night back in the village hall after lock down was a very welcome occasion in more than one way. Firstly, it was a welcome back to the members, to the first formal session for almost two years and we made the most of it, with around 45 members turning up; it seemed that however many tables were put out there were never enough!

Secondly, it was welcome to the new committee! After years of stalwart service, Bruce and Chris have stood down as the lynch-pins of the club which now has a more formal structure and a committee. Thank you both, Chris and Bruce, as the founding fathers of the club, your years of service and dedication have been truly admirable and very much appreciated. And let us not forget Marge and Doreen, the unsung behind-the-scenes heroes without whom the club would not have operated as smoothly as it has.

Welcome Back to Toby

It was also welcome back to Toby Chiles - another stalwart of the club. Toby has hosted 5 wine tastings for the club, including one by Zoom. As is obvious from his numerous visits to the club, Toby is one of our favourite hosts. He has worked for Banbury based wholesaler S H Jones since 2007 and has a Diploma from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust in London. He also works for Wine Unearthed a company that runs wine tasting sessions across the country. Toby hosts a comprehensive 5-hour wine experience (with a three-course lunch) for Wine Unearthed on one Saturday each month. Toby did not let us down and his event for the wine club was yet another creative and fascinating evening learning about the delights of wine.

An Evening of Three Parts

The evening was divided into three tasting rounds, each with three different wines. This was a treat; we normally taste between 5 and 6 in an evening. The wines Toby introduced are listed at the end of the blog.

The first wines were all Rieslings and all from the same producer. The aim was to see how versatile grape varieties can be and how they can be used to make different styles of wine. The second collection were all Malbecs from different countries (Chile, France and South Africa). The aim was to see how wines differ when they come from different origins. The third were all Sangiovese from Italy, but with different prices (£6, £14, £37), the price being a proxy for the quality of the wine.

In each round the wines were tasted blind and members encouraged to discuss them. As a result, there was much discussion, debate, banter and laughter, the latter especially as the evening drew on and the wine flowed.

Members were amazed after the first round at how different a varietal wine could be. (I recommend that people experiment with a range of different sauvignon blanc. That is another wine that can be amazingly variable). Most people seemed to think that there was a much smaller difference between the Malbec wines. Malbec does tend to be a consistent grape, with notable differences resulting when wine makers do something creative with it, for example fortifying with brandy or adding coffee. The general conclusion with the Sangiovese was that price is no guide to what you might like in a wine. Indeed, a number of members popped off to Lidl the next day to bought the cheapest of the three. It would be interesting to know if any popped out to buy the most expensive.

Say Cheese

As usual a fine selection of cheeses was provided with the wines. This time we were also treated to charcuterie with some of the wines.

With the Riesling wines:

Le Roulé. A soft French cheese with garlic and herbs.

Reserve Gruyère. From a small Swiss diary that is matured for a minimum of 10 months.

With the Malbec wines

Traditional Air-dried Salami from France

Spicy Spanish Chorizo

Red Leicester (Vintage Red Fox) from Shropshire. Matured for a minimum of 18 months.

With the Sangiovese wines:

Manchego. A full-fat, hard cheese made with sheep's milk matured for a minimum of 9 months, from the La Mancha region of Spain.

Parmigiano Reggiano. A rich, distinctive hard cheese from Italy that is matured for a minimum of 30 months.

And Finally

All in all, the event was yet another most enjoyable evening. Thanks to Toby for being such an excellent host (yet again) and to the members for their thoughtful and enthusiastic involvement.

Finally, the committee would like to thank members for helping to tidy up after the evening, it was very much appreciated.

The Wine List

ROUND 1 – STYLE: German Riesling

Mathy Schanz Riesling Classic (Dry) circa £10 www.weine-mosel.de

Mathy Schanz Auslese (Medium sweet) circa £10 www.weine-mosel.de

Mathy Schanz Sekt (Sparkling) circa £12 www.weine-mosel.de

ROUND 2 ORIGIN: Malbec

Chateau Bur Lagardette Cahors, France, M&S £12.99

Emiliana Adobe, Chile, kwoff.co.uk, ndjohn.co.uk £8.50

Gabb Family Vineyard Malbec, South Africa, Majestic, £11.99

ROUND 3 PRICE: Italian Savgiovese

Geografico Brunello di Montalcino 2016 winbuyers.com clubvini.com £29 - £45

Chianti Classico Villa Cafaggio 2019 Waitrose £10.99 - £13.99

Corte alle Mura Chianti Riserva 2016 Lidl £6

Photographs all Copyright Bruce Hamersley 2021

 At Last!!!!

The Freeland Wine Club,  is able to meet again and we are not talking Zoom here but meet and be with others sharing the love of wine and the enjoyment of each other's company. 

Our last face to face meeting seems an age ago, back in the time that will be called Pre-Pandemic.   January 2020.  As the say, a lot of water has passed under the bridge since then, and water was not on our minds last night at the  meeting.  That said water had been a big part of the day, you see we were aiming to  ease into the meetings by having a group picnic, all bring foods, chairs, blankets, for those reading this outside the UK need to know that the Brits generally picnic very close to, well actually, on the ground, normally on a blanket.  You can buy picnic blankets, made just for that purpose. In any event the weather this week has been rain or about to rain, so not good for alfresco food. On Friday it rained most of the morning  and into the afternoon but by late afternoon the skies cleared and the rain stopped.  So all good, we stayed under cover and enjoyed our picnic foods with friends in the Village Hall. After such a while it was very good to be with Wine Club members, chatting about all sorts with the common interest being wine.  Still keeping a distance and very little shaking of hands  or, heaven forbid, kisses. 

No wine tasting as such, but lots of bubbles to taste, Prosecco in good quntitity, An organic Prosecco was the main wine.  Very good too.  

All of the wines came from that famous wine cellar in Oxford, Aldi, sadly the Jura Cremant is currently unavailable but when there is a star buy. 

Not everyone got to taste the red of the night, it was felt that red would not be wanted, how wrong can you be?  The Sangiovese was very popular. the Italian grape making the journey to Chili more than well and producing a fine red wine. (Aldi £6.49)

The Prosecco was  organic, dry and very well received as well.  (Aldi £7.49)

If the photographer failed to photograph you then he is sorry for that but if your picture is here he hopes you approve.