An evening with wines from the New World

The other night we had tree reds up for a test. Given a menu of  slow cooked ossobuco, there was free play of wines from pinot to heavy cab’s. The first wine was indeed a pleasant surprise from New Zealand, the second bottle originated from Portugal (old world), and finally a classic from down under (Australia). Two out of three New world wines – a delighting and welcome initiative.

Momo 2007, Pinot Noir, Malborough New Zealand

Bouquet: Red fruits, vanilla, hint of cinnamon and base of ’dirt’. The base evolved in the glass from dirt to animal notes (typical Pinot)

Taste notes: the wine is well balanced but with a fresh acid. The wine has an elegant lightness and taste of mineral. The wine presents itself with a very fine structure.

Reguengos (Garrafeira dos socios) 2001

In the deepth of hot Alentejo reside the village of Reguengos. The producer of same name provide a series of typical Portuguese table wines to a top wine under the label Garrafeira dos socios (=The wine cellar of the a associated members), perhaps a nomen reminiscent of a system where wine farmers (contributors) of local grapes received good wines from the common cooperative.

Bouquet: A rounded bouquet of boysenberries and cinnamon. The bouquet rests dense in the glass, heavy and creamy.

Taste Notes: Dense wine with notes chocolate and ripe pears. Both provide a rounded base of the wine.    

The Twentyeight Road, d’Arenberg 2001

D’arenberg has long been one of Australia’s best and most interesting producers. For more than a century the wineyeard has produced wine using different European grape varietals on Austrialian soil. Of their many products, with rather bizarre names, the 28^th road is found among their top wines. This wine is produced from a single field using very old and low yielding Mouvedre grapes.

Bouquet: the bouquet presented it self with a high vertical structure – as if coming out the glass. Found herein were the following: Dark berries, but with a green base, liquorice, chocolate. Most characteristic is the surprising essence of peat (tørv), which led one to associate the wine with whiskey.