The famous Northern Rhone wine producer Jean Luc Colombo makes this
alongside his other more prestigious bottlings. The Cornas appellation
where Jean Luc Colombos wines come from sits in an east facing
amphitheatre and is sheltered from the elements which helps the Syrah
grapes ripen earlier than other regions. Wines grown here are said to
have authority and power!

Jean Luc Colombo
2009 Les Forots Cotes Du Rhone.
100% Syrah
Dark crimson purple in colour and sitting in a heavy bottle with very
deep punt.
On the nose it is very aromatic with cedar wood, smoke and dark brooding fruit!
The palate is mid bodied with a lovely tannin grip and texture in the
mouth. The fruit is fresh and has a nicely balanced acidity. Tastes
like wild hedgerow berry fruits with an aromatic spice finish.
Really excellent wine which got better through the evening. The 2008
vintage was superb in the Rhone Valley.
£12.49 from Rhythm and Booze

It’s a lovely evening in front of the fire with this excellent spanish tinto!

Vega del Cega
£5 from Aldi
This wine is made from a Tempranillo Garnacha mix from the realtively
new Valdepeñas Denominación de Origen.
Cherry red in colour and bright in the glass. Vibrant fresh fruit on
the nose with aromatic pear drop tinge.
The palate is dry with blueberry and blackberry fruits. It’s
refreshing and has a long lasting finish.

Corte del Drago
Collio Chardonnay 2010

An excellent high quality wine from Lidl.
Try finding a better Chardonnay for £6.49! It can’t be done!

The vineyard of Collio crosses the border between Italy and Slovenia.
Limestone and sandstone soils provide excellent growing conditions and
the grapes are picked by hand and traditionally fermented. A
proportion is fermented in small oak barrels which give it the lovely
richness.

Chardonnay Collio DOC 2010
Corte del Drago

Aromas of pine and eucalyptus…. Sorry that’s the Christmas tree in the room!

It is a vivid straw colour with
aromas of pineapple and a lovely lemongrass fragrance.
The legs stick strongly to the sides and the wine is medium bodied
with a nice fleshy texture.
On the palate you can detect peaches and cream and butter which is
excellent. It finishes with an elegant and super long nutty
aftertaste.
Recommended!

Blood… Red Wine… Halloween Booze
Errazuriz Estate Merlot 2010
Grown in the Valle de Aconcagua, Chile.
The 2010 vintage was excellent in this region.
The grapes were slowly and evenly ripened, hand picked, fermented and then aged in a combination of French and American oak barrels to round out the wine and add toasty sweetness.

Ruby red and crimson coloured.
On the nose there are aromas of blueberry and blackberry fruit with roasted coffee and Parker fountain pen also being in there.
Smooth on the palate with a medium body, the wine tastes soft and fruity with an initial sweet richness which is nicely balanced by a bit of raspberry acidity and an excellent rounded finish.

£8.99 from Supermarkets, Majestic Wine and other off licences.

Disclaimer.
This wine was provided as a sample for review from the distributors.

We attended a superb wine tasting evening at the residence of Gordon
Pocket aka Tom Cullingford.
We tasted several wines including an unusual sparkling red from the
Loire and several English wines.
This Bacchus wine from Shawsgate winery in Suffolk! was the star of the night.

The Bacchus grape is typically grown in England as the climate here
particularly suits the grape. If the conditions were any warmer, the
Bacchus grapes would get too ripe and the wine loses balance.
Rich in texture with dry honey and tropical fruits on the palate.
Balanced acidity and a clean finish show a well poised wine that would
stand up well to an Alsatian wine. I actually researched this grape
variety later and found out that it is a Riesling cross which would
support this comment!
Will

Live blog from Grenoside.

Spud
Strong enough to stand up to Pizza supper.
Spud Summery with a good balance of tannins.
Will. Sweet fruit intense aromatic aroma with refreshing red fruit on
the palate.
Spud. Quite a fresh aroma like a fruit basket on a cliff top.