Back to school - one glass at a time

Lothian Wine School

Volcanic Wines Masterclass

21/03/2019

Lothian Wine School run a wide variety of courses, from serious vocational level through to “a bit of fun”. They are pretty decent value considering the content and the one that I attended was both interesting and entertaining.

http://www.lothianwineschool.com/

This themed one is a great idea – I can think of a load of non-regional themes such as wines of Shakespeare (from claret - Henry VI, Part 2, through “Rhenish – Hamlet to “sherry sack” - Merry Wives of Windsor) but the volcanic one appealed as I had already enjoyed a range of volcanic wines in places as diverse as Costa Rica, Lanzarote and even Hawaii!

The class was well paced, with loads of information on regions, the unique nature of volcanic terrain in relation to wine and a full introduction to each wine before the tasting and interaction commenced on each bottle.

1 Inama Soave Classico 2017 Veneto Italy Majestic £15.99

Golden yellow, good legs and full bodied (sounds like Claudia Cardinale…..). Fresh, apricots with a hint of nuts.

2 Atlantis Assyrtiko 2017 Santorini Greece M&S £12

Light yellow with just a hint of green.

Citrus and sherbert dabs with a steely edge – very refreshing.

3 Elk Cove Pinot Gris Oregon USA Wine Society £18

Very light in colour, slightly smoky with a hint of ginger lifting the peachy/melony flavour. Generally ripe soft fruit as well.

4 Spatburgunder 2016 Martin Wassmer Germany Wine Society £14.50

Thin, garnet colour with a very light nose gently soft fruit in character with a bit of almost under-ripe cherry. Very dry and flinty with virtually no tannins.

5 Etna Rosso Fondo Filara Nicosia 2016 Sicily Italy Wine Society £12.50

Dark garnet in colour with a burst of pepper on the nose. Light and not too fruit-forward, a little flabby and muddled vis a vis flavours.

6 7 Fuentes 2016 Tenerife Spain Roberson wine £15.95

Massive rush of gunpowder and black pepper on the nose. Unfined and a touch dense but with a frontal attack of big fruit – plums and pomegranate.

7 Blandy’s Verdelho 10 years old Madeira Portugal Wine Society £19.50 (50CL)

Hands up – I adore Madeira and this is a delight, like a liquid mince pie with bags of crystallised fruits and spice with chunks of date balanced by enough acidity so that it doesn’t cloy.