Tag: DOC

Posted on

Tasting – Peregrine with Justin Hart, Oct’24

Wine with Altitude | Peregrine Wines
Wednesday 9th October, 8 pm Start
Door Price: Members $14 / Guests $18

Taking a ‘hands on’ approach to winemaking since 1998 the McLachlan family strive to produce wines that embody the absolute best of Central Otago.

This passion for the land runs in their family and is a hallmark of Peregrine as a business.

Organic farming is fundamental to every aspect of Peregrine Vineyard Estates, with an holistic approach that integrates crop and livestock farming with vineyard management.

The talented estate farming team are as adept at nurturing wines, as they are developing new land, or working with livestock.

Cellar door & Barrel hall tasting rooms.
Cellar door & Barrel hall tasting rooms.

Peregrine’s quest for outstanding Central Otago wine begins in the three distinct sub-regions from which they draw their fruit: Bendigo, Pisa and Gibbston, where their landmark winery rises up amongst rugged rock reefs and ancient hills.

In each of these locations, their commitment to the organic farming and viticulture guarantees fruit of the highest quality, imparting the clearest expression of character to every vintage.

A natural extension of their passion for the land, Peregrine are dedicated to helping protect some of NZ’s rarest native birds. As well as taking part personally in some of this country’s most successful preservation  programmes, Peregrine is proud to have worked with the Wingspan Birds of Prey Trust, DoC and the Fiordland Conservation Trust.

Peregrine wines spectacular, architecturally designed Winery and Cellar Door are open Mon-Sat 11 am-4 pm for wine sales and experiences.

Our wines for the evening:

  • 2023 Saddleback Riesling
  • 2023 Peregrine Sauvignon Blanc
  • 2023 Saddleback Rosé
  • 2023 Peregrine Pinot Gris
  • 2022 Saddleback Pinot Noir
  • 2022 Peregrine Pinot Noir

We look forward to seeing you Wednesday, 9th October.

Related posts

Related posts

Posted on

Evening of Bubbles Fun, Nov 2022

There was a good turnout for the evening, although numbers were down due to illness, and in one case, nearly the whole table was absent due to Covid. We hope everyone is feeling much better at this stage.

Wayne had organised this evening on his own and had a bit of a shortbread competition with his wife – not mentioning who won!

The first half of the evening was simply tasting some of the wines and discussing the different grapes and countries these came from.

The second half of the evening was a taste and tipple scenario. We had shortbread, strawberries, cheese & crackers, and Christmas cake to sample after we had had our first taste of each wine. This was to see if our taste buds registered any meaningful changes to the taste and texture of the wines.

The wines we sampled were:

First half

  • Lindauer Free ‘non-alcohol’ Brut was our surprise starter. It was made from Chardonnay and Pinot noir grapes and was poured blind. Whist some thought it was closer to a cider in taste and style, nobody guessed what this was correctly!
  • Tosti Prosecco DOC form the Piedmont region in Italy
  • Perelada Brut Reserva Carva NV –Spain
  • Morton Estate Premium Brut – NZ

Second half

  • Grant Burge Petite Bubbles Dry Sparkling – Australian
  • Louis Bouillot Perle De Vigne Cremant De Bourgogne – French

Two more mysteries to go with the Christmas Cake to finish off – these were also both poured blind:

  • Charles de Casnova Champagne – Reims, France
  • 2017 Lindauer Vintage Series Brut Cuvee – NZ

Check out  the Complete Guide to Sparkling Wines.

Related posts

Related posts

Posted on

Del Mundo with Lucas Monge – April 2021

Our Del Mundo tasting in April was a premium European tasting with Lucas. The wines we indulged in were:

  • Terra Serena Prosecco DOC Treviso Brut – Italian
  • Tonon Prosecco Conegliano Vablobbiadene Extra Dry DOCG – Italian
  • 2017 Great Five Pinotage Reserve – South African – first released in 1945
  • 2010 Camilo de Lellis Biferno Montepulciano/Aglianico Trebbiaio DOCG – Italian
  • 2016 Amarone della Valpolicella DOCG – Italian
  • 2012 Estola Gran reserve Tempranillo Cabernet – Spanish
  • 2008 Faustino First Tempranillo – Spanish
Del Mundo Wines - April 2021
Del Mundo Wines – April 2021

Lucas’s presentation was lively and informative, and many attendees were surprised to learn that in Italy and Spain there are strict rules around what can be labelled reserve. Requirements vary on a regional basis, though essentially, they have to have an extended period in both the barrel and the bottle before being released.

Typically, wines at the higher end of the spectrum are aged for many years. While Chianti has to be aged for a minimum of two years, Amarone, which we tasted on the night, can only be released after four years. A grand reserve has even more stringent requirements. For a Spanish wine to be labelled as a Gran Reserva, the law requires that it be aged for a minimum of five years, with two of those years in an oak cask or barrel.

Other tidbits we picked up during the evening:

  • Del Mondo means ‘of the world’
  • Prosecco means ‘path through the woods’
  • In 2009, Italy Prosecco was recognised as a geographical indication (GI) by Italian law (in the same vein as Champagne in France) and the Prosecco grape variety was renamed Glera
  • Tempranillo was first planted in the year 800, given Royal assent in 1100
  • Tempranillo is also the world’s third-largest crop
  • The Great Five Pinotage Reserve was first released in 1945
  • The opportunity to try labels we were unfamiliar with made for an interesting time and the Faustino, which normally retails for $105, was a special treat.

Note from Editor

A big thanks to all Club members for mucking in and helping set up the tables & chairs, etc for our last tasting. The JCC has explained that the Fijian group present when we arrived had got their dates mixed up for their bookings and they (JCC) have given us a rent-free evening for our troubles.

Related posts

Related posts

Posted on

A tour of Italy – Part 2

Glengarry’s Sunday ramblings of all things vinous, grain and glorious. A tour of Italy – Part 2 comes from The Sunday Sediment Issue 6.

Sicilia

The largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicily boasts the greatest number of wineries of any Italian region. Leading light on the island is the fortified DOC wine, Marsala; so brilliant for cooking and superb when served with a hard cheese like Pecorino. While there are some impressive DOC wines here, there is also great value being offered by top quality producers making very good IGT wines from native varieties.

The South

Dino Illuminati

Generally, the south of Italy is all about value and generous, forward wine styles. Abruzzo is located on the coast north and east of Rome, the region home to Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. Historically significant as the place the vine first arrived in Italy from Greece, Apulia (or Puglia) is located in the middle of the heel of Italy’s boot. Known as a large volume producer, there are now top-rated DOCG, an impressive 25 DOC zones and a chariot-full of great Italian foods.

 

Italian Sparkling

Italian SparklingProduced largely in the north, Prosecco is the current high-flier of Italy’s respected sparkling wine industry. In 2009 it was awarded DOCG status, that important ‘G’ on the end adding a rock-solid guarantee to the quality of the wine. Franciacorta is both a highly-rated DOCG area and a sparkling wine with a huge reputation, produced a la champagne, but with even more stringent aging requirements than its French cousins.

Grappa

The Italians have been perfecting their heady spirit known as Grappa since the Middle Ages. A unique concoction produced from grape pomace (the skins, pulp, seeds and stems left over after the juice has been extracted for winemaking), Grappa began life as a coarse, home-made drink enjoyed by farmers after a hard day’s work. From these humble beginnings it has evolved into a highly refined spirit. By EU law, Grappa must be produced in Italy, without any added water, from fermented and distilled pomace. To produce it, the pomace is heated in a bain-marie (also known as a water bath or double boiler) to create steam, which is forced through a distillation column. The resulting colourless, filtered distillation can be enjoyed immediately, but the finest Grappas are aged in glass or wood, which changes the colour and adds complexity. Flavours, too, can vary considerably depending on the origin of the grape pomace, the blending and the aging process. Great post-prandial, or added to espresso.

Read more in the Glengarry Wineletter – #232 August 2017.

Related posts

Related posts

Posted on

A tour of Italy – Part 1


Glengarry’s Sunday ramblings of all things vinous, grain and glorious. A tour of Italy – Part 1 comes from The Sunday Sediment Issue 5.

Veneto

Veneto is home to the glorious sinking city of Venice and the romantic jewel that is Verona. Here, you’ll find great value Soave, Valpolicella and Bardolino wines. Less than half of the wine produced in Veneto is able to be labelled with the Italian quality mark of DOC, with large quantities of IGT (table wine) produced there, making it an important region for quantity. It is also home to the superstar Amarone, and to the sparkling Prosecco wines made in Conegliano-Valdobbiadene. Read more in the Glengarry Wineletter – #232 August 2017.

Piemonte

Bruno Giacosca

Piemonte produces some of Italy’s most long-lived wines. A treasure trove of culinary delights, it is home to Barolo, Barbaresco, truffles and hazelnuts. The predominant red grapes are the indigenous Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto, the whites, Arneis and Moscato. The wines are distinctly regional and oozing with flair. Lovers of Pinot Noir will feel right at home with Nebbiolo, which is bottled in its own right as well as being the variety behind the famed Barolo wines. Read more in the Glengarry Wineletter – #232 August 2017.

Toscana

Cesare & Andrea Cecchi with La Signora Cecchi

A long with Piemonte, Toscana (Tuscany) has the highest percentage of top-tier DOCG wines, and is home to the scarlet giants Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. It is here that the new meets the old head-on, giving rise to the so-called Super Tuscans. The main variety in Tuscany is Sangiovese, used to make Chianti, with the variety’s greatest expression derived from the legendary Brunello clone developed by Montalcino’s Biondi-Santi family.

Read more in the Glengarry Wineletter – #232 August 2017.

 

Related posts

Related posts