Wine tasting at Crystal Wines on 10 mar 2012

Crystal Wines held its Italian & Spanish Wine fair on 10 mar 2012. I attended one of its tasting sessions Saturday afternoon with some friends with a view to boosting my personal wine reserve. Purchasing wines at a decent discount is always a good motivation. Furthermore this fair held a tasting of 20 wines, giving enthusiasts as opportunity to taste before purchase. Here’s some feedback from my wine buddies regarding the wines offered for tasting.

The favoured value for money deal acknowledged by most was the Castellblanch Gold Brut Cava NV. A sparkling wine from Spain, it went at a discounted price of $20. It makes a good match for food with light to medium body weight. Be it a sip for a hot afternoon with sandwiches, an aperitif before dinner, an accompaniment for starters like salads and soups, or to pair with seafood dishes, dim sum or even a steam boat meal, this bubby offers a versatile option.

Two reds were noted for being easy on the palate and approachable to drink at this moment. They are the 2004 Marques De Caceres Reserva Red (discounted price $46.40) and the 2009 Talenti Rosso Di Montalcino (discounted price $37.50).

Those who had a preference for Italian wines went for Veneto’s 2008 Nicolis Seccal Valpolicella DOC Classico Superiore Ripasso for its supple body and generous flavours (discounted price $45.60). Another sought after red was the 2008 Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto (partly for its affiliation with Sassicaia I suspect; at a discounted price $63.75). The latter is slightly closed at the moment and would do well if given an opportunity to gain some age. A little patience will benefit this purchase.

Three wines that showed ample body, depth and complexity were the 2006 Il Borro IGT Tuscana (discounted price $71.40), the 2006 San Polino Brunello Di Montalcino (discounted price $78.75) and the 2006 Frescobaldi Castelgiocondo Brunello Di Montalcino (discounted price $94.40). Well made wines but they ain’t exactly tamed at this point in time. I would lean towards some meat dishes to provide a pleasant complement if one is tempted to open any of these bottles in the very near future :)