Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2006.
This year was the 10th Fine Wine Encounter organised by Decanter Magazine, and the 8th that I have attended. Among the celebrities present were Oz Clarke whom I had met at a previous Fine Wine Encounter signing copy's of his new book "Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Book 2007" along with his many other publications.
Jancis Robinson also attended giving one of the Masterclass wine tasting sessions, and promoting her Purple Pages web site, giving members access to a vast amount of wine information, and most unusually no adds to be seen anywhere on the website.
The start time for the show has been moved forward 1 hour to an 11.00am start and although this was on the tickets people that attend each year seemed to be caught out by this change because at around 10.15am there seemed to be a lot of people milling about and no where to go, this also made it seem that the place was packed from the start making it very hard to get to some of the stands, I do feel that Decanter should take the quality route rather than quantity I feel sure that the numbers were greater than last year. Enough whining already, lets talk about some of the stars of the show.
Timothy v. 23.
Jancis Robinson also attended giving one of the Masterclass wine tasting sessions, and promoting her Purple Pages web site, giving members access to a vast amount of wine information, and most unusually no adds to be seen anywhere on the website.
The start time for the show has been moved forward 1 hour to an 11.00am start and although this was on the tickets people that attend each year seemed to be caught out by this change because at around 10.15am there seemed to be a lot of people milling about and no where to go, this also made it seem that the place was packed from the start making it very hard to get to some of the stands, I do feel that Decanter should take the quality route rather than quantity I feel sure that the numbers were greater than last year. Enough whining already, lets talk about some of the stars of the show.
- Domaines Schlumberger GRAND CRU KITTERLE 2002 Gewurztraminer Alsace - around £19.00 a bottle but a stunning example of a well made wine, powerful, rich, violets on the nose, well balanced with a long finish.
- Gonzalez Byass PX Noë: Great value at around £11.00 for a half bottle. A 100% PX wine. A dark and oily brown wine. Rich nose. Oily, fat, creamy palate, intense, with nuts and raisin flavour. A great Christmas pudding drink, intense stuff.
- Costa di Bussia Barolo Riserva 1999 DOCG: Around £26.00 a bottle. Ruby to garnet in colour, intense, slight tar, roses and violets, dry and a long finish. Drinking now (only just) and should have a long life ahead of it.
- Cloudy Bay Te Koko 2003: around £28.00 a bottle. Now for somthing complely different, an oaked Sauvingon Blanc from New Zealand, this has a pungent nose, aromas of cut grass, asparagus, greengage, all backed up by a creamy rich finnish. This is a well made wine but the oak and Sauvinon Blanc just did not do anything for me.
Timothy v. 23.
No comments:
Post a Comment