So yesterday Fiona and I went to our first wine tasting evening at Friarwod Wines down in Leith. I`ve always enjoyed wine, red wine in particular, but never really understood what makes a ‘good’ wine. Luckily they had a wine ‘expert’ on hand to teach us all how you should taste wine properly, rather than the usual quaff it al down and pretend you know what you are talking about by using words like ‘fruity’, ’silky’ and of course ‘dry’.
There were about 10 of us around the table and we were each given a menu of the wines we would be tasting. But first came the introduction from our expert who told us that tasting wines came in three phases, first the smell, then the taste (obviously), then the after taste. Simple enough, I thought.
First up was a Viognier Reserve 2004. This one smelled of very strong perfume, quite spicy, fresh and strong. It tasted nothing like the smell though which hit you like a boxers jab. Gives you a quick shock, but the feeling dies away quickly. It was very surprising how the smell was nothing like what I expected it to taste. No time to dwell, our expert tells us its time to move onto wine 2.
Which was a Chardonnay 2003. This had a much more mild smell, kind of like lemons and apples, much more subtly scent than the Viognier. It tasted as I expected and the taste, although not overpowering, died away slowly. Much better than the Viognier.
A move onto the red wines now as they brought out the Merlot 2002. I was told this was a mid bodied wine, which I had heard before, but never understood what that meat. Well I do now thanks to the people at Friarwood. The wine had a very mild smell, very strong and lovely taste, but one that died away quickly. Good with Duck, I`m told. The best so far.
It must be getting late as they bring out two red wines at once this time. A Shiraz Reserve 2002 and a Shiraz Viognier Reserve 2002. Turns out they gave us the two wines together with good reason. The Shiraz Viognier Reserve was created by mixing the red Shiraz Reserve with some left over Viognier Reserve (the first smelly wine). First tried was the straight Shiraz. A very dark red that gave quite a kick when tasted. A ‘bold wine’ I was told by our expert good with rich food in the winter. Then straight on the mixed wine. Less dark than the Shiraz, as you would expect, had the same very strong smell as the Viognier Reserve. I must have been getting a bit tipsy at this point because all my notes say about it are - “well scented” and “nasty". Obviously not to my taste.
Then came the finest wine I have ever had… Zinfandel 2003. This wine, I was told, had been voted as some kind of Champion wine. Yeah yeah, I thought, bring it on. It was utterly unlike any other wine I have ever had. The smell was so spicy, like cinnamon and other fruits. The taste was awesome! Spiced up silk is the only way to describe it. Before I could reach for my wallet to buy a bottle I was told that this was the only one left in the UK and that the 2004 vintage would not be in until September, and oh, it would cost about £50. Oh well, good things come to those who wait.
There was time for one more. An after dinner wine, although we were not having dinner, we were given oat cakes between the wines to clean our palettes. Late Harvest Semillon 2002. A very dark white wine that had been chilled for most of the evening. This one was my least favourite – I managed to polish off my glass of each of other six. This was very very sweet and as I said, intended for an after dinner drink, but bring me a brandy any time….. and take that nasty wine away.
Altogether I thought it was great value. Only £5 a ticket (with work discount) and at least now I have a very basic grasp on some ozzie wines. Or at least I can sound a bit better when talking about them than I did before.
No more typing in a nasty long web or email address, just point and click: 
