Wine Tasting

Lots has happened this week - most of which I can't tell you about because it hasn't and won't come to fruition for a long time yet and now is not the time to talk about it. All very exciting though and all filling our heads on an hourly basis. Oh - what a tease!

A group of four new guests arrived from Australia on Wednesday. Two of them stayed here last year with their children, so it was great to welcome them back - especially as they have come all the way from Adelaide.

One of the reasons they are here is a brother who works in the wine trade here in the Languedoc. They have also invited friends from the UK to visit at the same time - so it was that I hosted a wine tasting for seven last night and will host a dinner for seven tomorrow night.

It's fine to host a wine tasting with guests who have no idea what you are talking about and believe every word you say - it's slightly more intimidating when there is a wine professional involved too. I don't claim to be a Master of Wine or any sort of guru on the subject but I do know a fair bit after years of extensive personal research at the expense, no doubt, of the health of my liver. So I was mildly relieved and greatly reassured of my knowledge when it turned out that I was as well informed about this great region's wines as my wine making friend was - it just goes to show that nobody can ever know everything about wine - ever.

The wines that took my wine making friend by surprise were a Sauvignon Blanc from Rieux-Minervois and a late harvest sweet wine made by an English winemaker, also in the Minervois.

This whole vast region is known predominately for it's red wine - from Minervois to Corbieres to Fitou to St Chinian to Faugeres. Yet, it is the white wines that I taste that most astound me with their quality.

The reds all seem to be made to a pattern or formula that you expect and there are plenty of them so differentiating between them is more difficult - don't get me wrong, there are some delicious exceptional reds here and the average bottle is both extremely affordable and very drinkable.

The whites take me by surprise though - because I don't expect the quality and finesse that I constantly find - maybe I should stop being surprised.

Last night we had a Sauvignon Blanc from Domaine Saint Francois that was delicious in every respect - floral, aromatic bouquet and a mouth full of fresh peachy, apricoty flavours and just a hint of the oak barrels it had been in for 12 months. It was sublime in every respect and a total bonus as I had just picked it up that day in trying to find something different. The Aussies thought it had to be a Chardonnay but they were wrong and the winemaker vowed to visit the domaine as soon as possible.

The last wine we tasted was a sweet wine - Late Harvest from Domaine La Bouscade. The whole process of making a late harvest wine is an act of faith and as much of a gamble as buying a lottery ticket - the odds really are that bad that the right weather conditions will occur at the right time and the grapes will react in the right way. I think that running a holiday business is a gamble - winemakers make me look positively conservative.

Needless to say, everybody adored the wine and the winemaker actually clapped his hands in appreciation of a top class well-made product. He knows what's involved. My compliments to David and Jo Cowderoy out in Puicheric for turning out the best dessert wine I have ever tasted.

It's a job - but it's a good job.