Once you have learnt the basics of wine tasting, found on the main page, in this section you can test yourself and learn to distinguish the characteristics of different types of wine. You only have to get hold of the bottles of wine we mention below (we try to recommend wines that economically accessible) and sit in front of your PC with the appropriate glass of wine.
JULY - AUGUST
You can still hear the one about red wines for meat and white ones for fish. I, then, would venture to ask, “Are all white wines the same and all red wines the same? Is all meat and fish of the same texture?

Castillo de Monjardin 2003.

Fermented in cask

Variety Chardonnay

Approximate price (shop): 6.20 euro

 

 

 
  If it is true that it the dictum is, initially at least, just a guideline, I would nevertheless say that, regarding the mix, or rather the balance, between drink and food, all is quite subjective; it can depend on a number of aspects:
the emotional state of each one at the time of tasting
the time of year (the summer is not the same as winter)
the type of food and how it has been prepared (hake in batter is no way like hake cooked on the griddle)
the complexity or body of the wine.
The two most important aspects that bear on the balance or taste of the foodstuff that we are going to partake of (given that, in my view, wine is a food, despite those who throw up their hands in protest), are:
1- The company with which you are sharing the meal ( I, at least, do not feel the same about a wine in one of those meals where there is more an element of obligation than interest than in a meal with people you like or like to be with)
2- The price you wish to pay. And more so if we taking into account the ridiculous prices being charged in restaurants.
Anyhow, before I go too far, let us describe the wine.
This wine can perfectly accompany all kinds of meat, given its aromatic complexity and as it gives many sensations on the palate. But, perhaps, not being used to a white wine accompanying meat, we do not insist, because of what the guy on the next table might say!

COLOUR Wine glasses at the same height, tilt both through 45º against a white, matt background in order to appreciate different shades of colour.
 
If you hold it up against the colour scale on the main webpage, you will appreciate it has a golden colour, quite contrary to last month’s wine. This oxidation is due to the time of the wine in the barrel.

NOSE
 
High aromatic intensity (it has a strong smell) and, at the same time, aromatic complexity (distinct aromatic nuances). At first, the wood is appreciated but this is very well balanced with the aromas of the wine. An agreeable fruitinesss, reminding you of quince, honey flowers , with a vanilla background.
PALATE
 

At first the wine is dry on the palate and neither carbonic effect nor tip of the tongue sensation is appreciated. The passage through the mouth is honey- or glycerine-like (for those who may not know this sensation we might say it is harmonious or oleaginous; always pleasant) very balanced; with high and fresh acidity, with a pleasant touch of bitterness that does not dominate. The after-taste is pleasant. Nowhere does the wood dominate.
RESUME
A well-made wine at a good price. The wood respecting the grape. Without the exaggerated tanicities we find in many wines produced in those ways.
That’s all for now - see you in September. For the Europeans from more northerly parts, be careful with the sun and have a great holiday, if you have them; and those fans from the other hemisphere (not a few) – careful with the cold.