It Tastes Like Grapes: October 2013

Welcome

Welcome

This is a resource for people who want to buy an interesting bottle of wine on a budget of about $20. If you get lost between Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon and have access to a Dan Murphy's or Vintage Cellars (or Aldi, as of 2015!), you've come to the right place. Where possible, wines are listed with their single-bottle price from DM/VC/A and the winery's home page.

A good place to start is the 'Index', or if you know what type of wine you want, head straight to the 'Recommended Reds', 'Worthy Whites' or 'Stunning Sparklers' that only show 4 & 5☆ wines.

Your experience will be different to everyone else's, which makes wine such a pleasure. The same vintage wine at different ages will be distinct, as will the same aged wines from different vintages. What the glass holds is a unique parcel of time that should be enjoyed as such.

Wednesday, 23 October 2013

(W) Suavia: "Le Sorelle" Soave 2010, from Verona, Italy

Smell
Early: Grassy and a little citrus/chalkiness
Later: Floral & tropical fruity

Taste
The mouthfeel starts semi-dry with a crisp acidity and a lack of distinctive flavours. The wine opens up reasonable quickly to show flavours predominantly of pineapple, with some melon and softer white fruits, however the fruitiness is kept in check by firm acidity.

Tale
The Tessari family have worked the land around the village Fittà since the nineteenth century and in 1982 decided to break away from the local co-operative to produce their own wine under the label Suavia. Suavia is both the name of the castle in Soave and the town's name from the middle ages. The winery is currently under management of the three Tessari daughters, Alessandra, Meri and Valentina.

Price: $15
Quality: ☆☆☆
Value: ☆☆☆

http://www.suavia.it/homepage
https://www.vintagecellarscorporate.com.au/corpe2e/Product/8642125/Le-Sorelle-di-Suavia-Soave-DOC
https://www.1stchoice.com.au/White%20Wine/le-sorelle-di-suavia-soave-doc-750ml-2010_8642125

(R) Viña Mayor: "Ribera Del Duero" Tinto Roble (Tempranillo) 2005, from Quintanilla de Onésimo, Valladolid, Spain

Smell
Early: Bouquet of ripe plums, cherries and forest fruits with a bit of earth and leather
Later: Ripe plums and sour cherries

Taste
This Tempranillo pours incredibly dark (due to a long time on skins) with reddish brown edges. It's fruity and smooth to begin, with a moderately dry mouthfeel and a small amount of acidity. The wine becomes slightly spicy and more tannic as it opens up. Eventually the fruitiness is dominated by spice and little else. Still a nice drink to the end, however it's certainly best at the start.

Tale
Viña Mayor are relative newcomers to the Duero wine scene, having been created in the town of Quintanilla de Onésimo in 1986 following certification of the Denominación de Origen "Ribera del Duero" in 1982. Viña Mayor's parent company Hijos de Antonio Barceló (H.A. Barceló) has half a dozen labels across Spain and has been producing wine since 1876, when 26 year old Don Antonio Barceló Madueño began making and exporting his own wines, liquors and brandies from his hometown Málaga on the southern coast of Spain.

Price: $16
Quality: ☆☆
Value: ☆☆

https://www.vintagecellarscorporate.com.au/corpe2e/Product/6109148/Vina-Mayor-Roble-Ribera-Del-Duero
http://www.vina-mayor.com
http://www.vina-mayor.com/vi%C3%B1a-mayor-bodegas-y-vi%C3%B1edos_eng/nuestros_vinos/listado-de-familias-marca.aspx?id=6217