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Spit or Swallow?

Posted on | June 6, 2009 | 4 Comments

curiouswinesnew-zealand-tasting

Last night we headed along to the Curious Wines New Zealand Wine Tasting night which was held in the Ambassador Hotel in Cork. I didn’t really know what to expect, but lets face it  an evening of wine and good company, how tough was that going to be to enjoy?

What transpired was a most excellent night. Eleven wines were tasted: 1 rosé, 8 whites and a couple of reds. Joyce Austin was the host and wine guide for the night and she did a brilliant job. Very entertaining and informative with tales of the winemakers, grapes, wine descriptions and the region. Additional photos placed around the room made me want to pack up immediately and emigrate there.

I really liked the fact that many of the wines were tasted in pairs. For most people its too much of an extravagance to open multiple bottles of wine at a time just to compare and contrast which ones you prefer but unless you do so, its quite difficult to spot the sometimes subtle differences. For this reason alone, a night like this is a great idea. For a very small cost, you have access to a range of wines to taste and see what suits your palate and pocket best.

My favourites of the night were definitely the pair of Rieslings. The first was a Waipara Springs Riesling 2007 and the second was Greenhough Dry Riesling 2007. I really enjoyed both but the Greenhough definitely won the race by a nose. Will definitely be purchasing both again.

The surprise of the night for my die hard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc husband was that when presented with the wines blind, he liked both the Sauvignon Blancs: Tussock from Nelson and the more complex, fuller bodied  Waipara Springs offering. Both Pinot Gris wines were quickly quaffed and appreciated too. The Coney Piccolo 2008 being my favourite of the two.

Chardonnay has never been a favourite grape of ours, but both wines tasted were at the lighter unoaked end of the spectrum and so definitely suited us.

The evening ended with superbly with a pair of  Pinot Noirs. I really enjoyed both the Waipara Springs Premo 2007 and Bilancia 2006.

We both had a great night. It was light hearted, good fun and we all learned something more about the wine aswell. Its a night that suits a wide range of wine drinker: from casual tippler to seasoned professional.  Would heartily recommend attendance at the next one.  I have my suspicions that the curious wine tasting nights will go from strength to strength so you may have to book your place early.  Congrats to all involved.

Here’s a  link to a short qik video snippet taken on the night:

Curious Wines Tasting with Joyce Austin

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Comments

4 Responses to “Spit or Swallow?”

  1. Michael Kane
    June 6th, 2009 @ 4:28 pm

    Ha, fantastic!
    An overwhelming response from last night has only strengthened our commitment to continue these tastings on a regular basis.
    Thanks so much, both for your post and kind comments, and your attendance and contribution on the night.

  2. Curious: The Curious Wines Wine Blog » Blog Archive » 10% off all New Zealand wines for 48-hours only!
    June 10th, 2009 @ 12:59 pm

    [...] out what a couple of tasters thought of the night: our thanks to Brian Clayton and Manic Mammy for your kind words and support, we’re absolutely delighted you enjoyed the [...]

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    June 18th, 2009 @ 7:36 am

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