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
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.