Getting the kit ready to go... Thanks to the kind people at Swing Dance Movement, I was able to host a Wine Tasting event at a beautiful venue, The Tango Club in the Leathermarket on Weston Street, London.
A hall more commonly used for tai chi, yoga, pilates and all kinds of dancing turned, for an hour or so, into a place of wine education and enjoyment.
My goal was to bring wines that people may never consider, may never have tried and alternatives to standard "favourites". It's fair to say, there were a few surprises. And I was really happy to see that everyone was open to trying new things, and even happier that my white wine choices went down well with people who "only drink red wine".
There's so much wine to discover, so don't be afraid to try something new.
A hall more commonly used for tai chi, yoga, pilates and all kinds of dancing turned, for an hour or so, into a place of wine education and enjoyment.
My goal was to bring wines that people may never consider, may never have tried and alternatives to standard "favourites". It's fair to say, there were a few surprises. And I was really happy to see that everyone was open to trying new things, and even happier that my white wine choices went down well with people who "only drink red wine".
There's so much wine to discover, so don't be afraid to try something new.
The Whites
Argentine Torrontés (Faldeos Nevados £7.50 from The Wine Society), got us started. You need to be a Wine Society member to buy wines from here, so if you're looking for an alternative, I highly recommend the Tesco Finest Torrontés which is from Salta, home of the highest vineyards in the world and probably the home of the finest expressions of this grape variety. I think it's around £8 but is currently unavailable on their website.
What we loved about this wine was the floral and fruit flavours, a hefty dose of peach, some grape, and a good body with not too much acidity. No-one had tried this variety before and I think it's a good alternative to Viognier and even unoaked new world chardonnays. At Christmas it would make a nice aperitif or match some seafood appetisers.
Next came the Alsace Pinot Gris (£9.99 from Waitrose). I am in the "down with Pinot Grigio" club and it depresses me that it's often the house white in many bars and restaurants. Compared to the Alsace expression of Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio can be so dull, acidic and unbalanced - especially at the cheaper end of the market.
Of course, I'm biased, as I have a real passion for Alsace whites. I hope to organise a drinking and dancing trip to the area next year, so I was really pleased when the crowd agreed. This wine was the absolute favourite among our whites for it's body, hints of honey and ginger, smooth drinking and how well it paired with some of the strong cheeses. I also recommend this wine with lightly spiced Asian cuisine, or just to drink on it's own.
What we loved about this wine was the floral and fruit flavours, a hefty dose of peach, some grape, and a good body with not too much acidity. No-one had tried this variety before and I think it's a good alternative to Viognier and even unoaked new world chardonnays. At Christmas it would make a nice aperitif or match some seafood appetisers.
Next came the Alsace Pinot Gris (£9.99 from Waitrose). I am in the "down with Pinot Grigio" club and it depresses me that it's often the house white in many bars and restaurants. Compared to the Alsace expression of Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio can be so dull, acidic and unbalanced - especially at the cheaper end of the market.
Of course, I'm biased, as I have a real passion for Alsace whites. I hope to organise a drinking and dancing trip to the area next year, so I was really pleased when the crowd agreed. This wine was the absolute favourite among our whites for it's body, hints of honey and ginger, smooth drinking and how well it paired with some of the strong cheeses. I also recommend this wine with lightly spiced Asian cuisine, or just to drink on it's own.
Our final white was the toast of England. A huge hit at several tasting events I've run in the past, it is the Chapel Down Bacchus (£12 from the winery direct and also available in some larger supermarkets). Following whites with low acidity and such strong, almost sweet fruit flavours was a challenge for this wine. It's always a sure fire winner with Sauvignon Blanc fans and it's ripe, green gooseberry flavours make it a great summer aperitif or a lovely pairing with fish. But our dancers tonight were less convinced - they'd been eased into warmer climate wines with fuller body and more tropical flavours. But you can't win them all.
The Reds
For the reds, we started with a Wine Society favourite of mine (£5.25). The Society's Spicy Southern Spanish red is a Monastrell ( also known as Mourvedre in France and Mataro in Australia) from Jumilla in the hot and sunny south east of Spain. Winemaker Juan Gil does a sterling job here in producing a full and fruity red which wowed with it's hints of black fruit and even date - some hinted at coffee and toffee, but I think we were just experimenting with our new found wine vocabularies. It's got quite drying tannin if you're switching from white, but paired with cheese, it went down a treat, and would also make a great mulling wine, as there are spicy flavours like cinnamon and black pepper already in the wine, and it's got a lovely festive ruby colour. If you like this, seek out Juan Gil's 4 Meses which is a very similar wine in style, being from the same grape and the same wine maker. It's available from Virgin Wines and elsewhere.
Our least successful red was something new to all: Greek wine. I've supplied Greek white at a recent tasting (Assyrtiko from Santorini) and though we agreed it would go well with olives as an aperitif, it languished unfinished at the end of the night.
Sadly it was the same story for our Agiorgitiko (~£7 a bottle). No refills were taken and there was almost a full bottle left at the end of the night. It's a litte sad as this wine has some character, with softer tannins and lower acidity. A hint of spritz, some strawberry bubblegum and fruit in a manner reminiscent of a Beaulolais, and a smooth, easy drinking wine should easily please Merlot drinkers. A version from Nemea (the best area for this grape) is available at Marks and Spencer if you've not been put off. It's one to drink on it's own.
Sadly it was the same story for our Agiorgitiko (~£7 a bottle). No refills were taken and there was almost a full bottle left at the end of the night. It's a litte sad as this wine has some character, with softer tannins and lower acidity. A hint of spritz, some strawberry bubblegum and fruit in a manner reminiscent of a Beaulolais, and a smooth, easy drinking wine should easily please Merlot drinkers. A version from Nemea (the best area for this grape) is available at Marks and Spencer if you've not been put off. It's one to drink on it's own.
Our final red was one of my all-time favourite supermarket wines, The Hedonist Shiraz (£12.99 from Waitrose). Hedonist has become the leitmotif for my life in the last year or so - so much so that my friend got the wine label made into an iPhone cover for me! So this wine had a lot riding on it.
Luckily, my favourite little piggy was well appreciated for it's chocolaty spice, rich black fruits, velvety texture and full body. I was glad I'd warned the participants to bring along a toothbrush as the teeth were purpling up nicely with this one, and it didn't end up in the spittoon, being the first wine to run out on the night.
My aim here was to show people what spending a bit more than normal on their bottle of shiraz can deliver, and I think most were convinced. One lovely lady even bought my "emergency" bottle.
Luckily, my favourite little piggy was well appreciated for it's chocolaty spice, rich black fruits, velvety texture and full body. I was glad I'd warned the participants to bring along a toothbrush as the teeth were purpling up nicely with this one, and it didn't end up in the spittoon, being the first wine to run out on the night.
My aim here was to show people what spending a bit more than normal on their bottle of shiraz can deliver, and I think most were convinced. One lovely lady even bought my "emergency" bottle.
Dessert
I'd told my hosts that I'd provide a sparkling wine and a dessert wine, but I wanted to keep the budget down and also to show what was out there. So, I surprised everyone with their first taste of Asti in many a year. It's a light sparkling with only 7% alcohol and was a hit with our resident non-drinker. The mousse is delicate and the muscat grape's flavour is pleasingly sweet of grape, elderflower with a sweetness that matches beautifully with a slice of panettone or light sponge cake. Tried, tested and approved. At around £8 from supermarkets, this fizz is around the price of a half decent bottle of Cava, but provides quite a different character and although suitable as an aperitif, works really well with light, fruit-based desserts.
Finally, we sampled "The Wise One", an Australian fortified wine (£11 from the Wine Society) similar in style to a 10 year Tawny Port. It's a reasonably priced Port substitute in full bottle size, unusual for many dessert wines. Blended from Shiraz, Grenache and Verdehlo grapes aged to provide toffee flavours, dates, spice, chocolate and sure to be a hit with strong cheeses or Christmas pudding/cake alike. It's a shame I couldn't sell this, as there were several guests who will probably now be signing up to join the Wine Society just to get their hands on some. I seem to note the bottle disappearing into the hands of some charming young men, and who was I to argue? Interestingly, our Australian guests had never tasted anything like this, with different styles of dessert wine, such as fortified muscats being much more commonly drunk Down Under.
Finally, we sampled "The Wise One", an Australian fortified wine (£11 from the Wine Society) similar in style to a 10 year Tawny Port. It's a reasonably priced Port substitute in full bottle size, unusual for many dessert wines. Blended from Shiraz, Grenache and Verdehlo grapes aged to provide toffee flavours, dates, spice, chocolate and sure to be a hit with strong cheeses or Christmas pudding/cake alike. It's a shame I couldn't sell this, as there were several guests who will probably now be signing up to join the Wine Society just to get their hands on some. I seem to note the bottle disappearing into the hands of some charming young men, and who was I to argue? Interestingly, our Australian guests had never tasted anything like this, with different styles of dessert wine, such as fortified muscats being much more commonly drunk Down Under.
The dancing started straight after the wine tasting and it looked like everyone managed to remain on their feet. Thankfully.
I loved hearing everyone's feedback on the event, on the wines they sampled and on learning a bit more about wine. If you want to have a Purple Teeth tasting party at your event, private party or corporate function, just contact me here. I'm also happy to provide wine education via Skype, and to provide bespoke wine buying services for you, or as a gift service. Meanwhile, if you're inspired to try something new, I'd love to hear what you think about it, either via Facebook, Twitter or Google+. Thanks again to Swing Dance Movement. And if you fancy a night off the booze, why not pop along to their beginner class near London Bridge every Tuesday night to learn to dance?
Cheers!
I loved hearing everyone's feedback on the event, on the wines they sampled and on learning a bit more about wine. If you want to have a Purple Teeth tasting party at your event, private party or corporate function, just contact me here. I'm also happy to provide wine education via Skype, and to provide bespoke wine buying services for you, or as a gift service. Meanwhile, if you're inspired to try something new, I'd love to hear what you think about it, either via Facebook, Twitter or Google+. Thanks again to Swing Dance Movement. And if you fancy a night off the booze, why not pop along to their beginner class near London Bridge every Tuesday night to learn to dance?
Cheers!
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