Worldly Selection

This week’s wine tasting at Creekside Cellars centered on wines from around the world. We tasted eight out of nine of the wines. The only wine we didn’t taste was the d’Arenberg “Hermit Crab” and that’s only because we’ve had it before, loved it, and purchased it for our cellar. Here are our notes on the tasting.

Jeio Sparkling Cuuvee Rosé, Veneto, Italy ($15) – This wine was sweet with a buttery nose. It had honey notes and reminded us as a Gewurztraminer. It also had hints of dried apricote, mango, and spice on the end.

Unoaked Morgan “Metallico” Chardonnay, Monterrey, California ($22) – We’ve had the oaked version of this wine, so the unoaked was an interesting adventure. IT was nutty and had hints of cashews. It needs a strong taste for pairing. It would pair well with tabbouleh or a citrus salad.

2010 Nautilus Pinot Noir Marlborough, New Zealand ($30) – This wine was buttery, and honestly, it was very Merlot-like It was plums, straw, and raspberries, but very good. It’s one that’s going on our wish list.

2009 Spice Route Pinotage, Swartland, South Africa ($20) – This wine had notes of cloves, tobacco, vanilla, cocoa, and a hint of amaretto. It was also tannic. There was a lot of heat on the end of the wine. It was a pretty decent wine, but we’ve had better wines that were comparable in nature.

2008 Numanthia “Termes” Tempranillo Toro, Spain ($30) – We were on the fence with this wine. On one hand, it seemed very good. On the other hand, we weren’t sure whether we liked it. On the nose, it had olives and must. When sipping, we picked up notes of black pepper, paprika, oregano. It was a very unique and interesting wine.

2008 Bell Cellars “Canterbury Vineyard” Syrah Sierra Foothills, California ($25) – This wine was creamy, vanilla and floral. It was spectacular, full-bodied, and very nice. It comes with a high recommendation.

2011 Achaval Ferrer Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina ($25) – This wine is very full, heavy and tannic. It had hints of cherries. It pairs well with cheddar to smooth it out and one it down. This wine can be very good and spicy.