Wine tasting starting on Friday night - who wants to join in?

[JanZ]

I thought I'd start a new thread on thi to see if anyone is interested in joining in. So far, it looks like just me Fio2, me and dh! It would be more fun if there were more of us!

As a starter, the suggestion is Jacobs Creek Shiraz/Cabernet - easily obtainable from most supermarkets and off-licences.

Dh (Bacchus) has put togeter a wee embryonic web site for the Mumsnet tasting. I'll copy and paste his posting to give you the link:

"Blast! Need to change my nickname now!

Bearing in mind the postings regarding the problem of "same wine everyone" I thought that rather than hang around waiting, people could start with a wine which I believe is fairly widely available - being Jacob's Creek Shiraz/Cabernet - while trying to work out/agree the best way to overcome the "availability" issue.(working on that). So I've put together a couple of pages specifically for this purpose, be gentle - I'm not a web designer - but you can try them, it makes a start - First Bash . You should note that the links back to Mumsnet only bring you back to main site.

More suggestions to follow later in the week."

I'll be buying our bottle of Jacobs Creek tonight (although we've had it before). Hope that there will be more of you lot joining in!

Thought I'd note down my commnets while they're still fresh. Dh (now snoozing in front of the TV) will post his comments in the morning - together with an update of the WineSchool webpages.

We tasted the Jacobs Creek Shiraz Cabernet 2001 (Demeneted - the Shiraz Grenache will tast different, although we'd still be interested in your impressions. I would imagine that the Grenache will make it more fruity and less tannic than the one we tasted).

Remember - these are just MY impressions - everyone else's impressions are equally relelvant! (.... and if you've not tried it yet, DON'T read any further until you have!)

How did it look?: bright, clear, reddy purple (ie no tinge of brown.

How did it smell?: slightly rubbery. Quite rich. Blackcurrants?

How did it taste?: Blackcurrants again. Nice. Spiciness. Licquorice..... is that what I meant by the rubberiness? (I'd been struggling to put my finger on what I meant). Some tannin (ie the dryness that puckers your mouth) but not too much.

Interestingly, when we tried it again in a smaller (more normal) glass we got much more tannin. Dh will probably explain that more tomorrow. As a relatively young wine, it just means that if it's puckering your mouth too much, leave it in the glass for a bit and let the air get at it - that will help soften it.

Good value for a fiver.

Anyway, those are my first impressions. What do the rest of you think?

Oops sb34 - postings crossed. I'll be back in a minute when I've served up the ice cream and Maltesers and woken up dh. I WAS planning on watching Sex and the City - but I can leave it until next Wednesday!

Message withdrawn

Watched the news instead.

The important thing is - did you like it?! If so, why? If not, why not?

Looks as tho the wine is going to be drunk "over the weekend" - quite right - I've made my notes but don't think it would be a good idea to post them before others have tried the wine - power of suggestion and all that.

Demented, couple of things, don't worry about not being any good at describing wines, have a look at the pages I've put up they might give some help - try this and the Shiraz Grenache will taste differently (at least I'd certainly hope it would!) but the principles of tasting and describing are the same..........make sure you enjoy it!

I presume it is OK if I give you my description seen as it is a slightly different wine?

Jacobs Creek Grenache Shiraz 2003 (approx £23 for 6 bottles in ASDA , the first four were lovely BTW)

It is a very dark red which according to Bacchus' website is an indication of how young it is.

It smells a bit fruity, not a strong smelling wine.

It is very fruity, blackcurrant flavours coming through with a slight sharp, almost fizzy undertone.

It's very nice and I would recommend it.

Demented - sounds like it was a nice wine! I did say it would be a bit more fruity that the Shiraz Cabernet - and it sounds, from your description, as if it was.

The Shiraz Cabernet was more "jammy" (than it had been the night before) when we finished it off at lunch yesterday . That's what would be expected, as the tannins (the dry stuff) will have had a chance to soften (which happens once the wine is exposed to air), which lets you taste the fruit more easily. The same thing happens as a wine ages.

Bacchus can explain it better than me.

I'll be interested to see what he posts about the wine - he was worried about influencing what people thought, so held off posting his own impressions.

DH opened the last bottle of the Grenache Shiraz and between last night and tonight he has drunk half of it. What is left in the bottle is mine and will be comsumed tomorrow night, I will note any changes. On a more worrying note we have drunk a month's worth of wine in 15 days.

Looking forward to seeing some comments!

Two days on:-

The colour is still very dark.

It smelt more mellow but still fruity.

It tastes more mellow and there are loads more blackcurrant flavours coming through the fizzy undertone has toned down to a much preferable ever so slight sharpness at the back to the blackcurrant flavour.

It is tempting in future to open a bottle (don't drink any, just leave it open for a while), put the cork in and drink it two days later. It was nice on Saturday but even nicer today.

Demented - I thought you said you'd never done this before - are you sure you're not Jilly Goolden in disguise?

You've just described beautifully what the experts say should happen to a very young wine and described in a very real way why some people suggest decanting very young red wines - to get lots of air at them. The fizzy undertone you mention is probably the acidity in the wine and as the air gets at it, it does mellow it as you say. Colour shouldn't change during the tasting - it takes years for that to begin to alter.

Great, sounds like you're "on the way".

I'll post my own notes later today (different wine)

Demented - good notes!

Your idea about opening it and leaving it IS something worth considering with young wines that are a bit tannic. One thing I remember reading somewhere though is not just to open the bottle and think that that will get enough air at the wine. If you think of it - only a little circle of wine in the neck of the bottle will get exposed - and when you put the cork back in, there still isn't any air to get at the wine. What was suggested was to take a glass out the bottle (such a shame - you'll just HAVE to taste it !) - and that allows more air to get at the wine.

The other thing that can have a similar effect - and is quicker acting - is to decant the wine. The act of pouring it into a jug gets air into the wine, which will help soften it. If you don't have a decanter, you can just pour it into a jug and then pur it back into the bottle.

(There are also other reasons for decanting wines - especially older ones - but I'll keep this short!)

I havent done mine yet...will be on the case soon though

... Fio2, the important thing is, did your dh and you enjoy it? If so, why? If not, why not? That can then help point you in directions of other wines to try.

I havent even tasted it yet Jan, I will buy a bottle for us to share tonight

As promised, I've put together some tasting notes on a webpage Some tasting comments....... The page might take a moment or two to download, there are a couple of pictures on it which might slow download a little, so bear with it - if it takes too long, let me know and I'll change it again (I've got Broadband at home, so long since forgotten the 'joys' of dial up).

Those of you who've tasted the wine and not yet posted - are you shy? Did you like it? did you dislike it?

Either way - go on, let us all know and let us all know why?

Now, I'll go away and start thinking about how we do this regularly - suggestions please

Bacchus never listens when I tell him how much something costs.... the wine was only £4.99 in Safeway, which makes it even BETTER value!

Thank you for your kind comments, I've maybe got a new career ahead of me, hic!

Bacchus/Janz, the wine you were trying sounds and looks lovely too, great pictures. I do like a bottle of Jacob's Creek.

After saying I wasn't going to 'do' the wine club, I will pop my head round the door and see what you are all tasting next week.

sb34 - what did you think of the wine? .... you were drinking yours on Friday night while I was posting my own notes, and then i got sidetracked with icecream and maltesers and watching the news (that reminds me: must remember to watch Friday's Sex and the City's episode tonight)

No tasting this weekend? Missed the last one I'm afraid.

Apologies folks, busy finishing work on the kitchen and then, well it was an International Rugby weekend. (I'm Scottish).

Will put my thinking cap on and organise something for next weekend.

Does Friday thru Sunday suit most?

Okay thought my name was quite apt for this thread...pmsl! So hope you don;t mind me jumping in!

And as i had this bottle on Monday night!
JACOBS CREEK SHIRAZ/CABERNET Vintage 2002,

Made me giggle as the lady behind the counter told dp that she didn't know how people could drink the stuff it tastes like vinegar...dp explained you had to have taste...lmao!

He said she needs to try this rather than a 2 ltr bottle of Hungarian for £2! She replied oh i am a Lambrinri girl meself! Since when is that WINE!??

Must admit i love my wine and do always finish the bottle! I am very into Australian Wines (especially red) so i can reccomend quite a few! Although know of many whites too!

Red wine should always be 'aired' before drank from the glass (or so i've heard) ie do not open, pour straight into a glass and drink!