Preamble Tasting August 2002
International Wines & Cheeses
Rodney Shaw
1. Zenato Lugano, 2001
A clone of Trebbiano.
Very dry nose, nice hint of honey at the edge, good fruit. 13%
Searson €11.95
2. St. Hallett Poacher's Blend, Barossa, S. Australia
Richer yellow. Lovely
rich feel; quite a lot of Riesling. Very nice. Made of
Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Riesling and Semillon.
12% Matched well with the Carrickbyrne St. Killian
cheese.
O'Briens €8.00
3. Chateau de la Chartreuse, Sauternes,
France, 1996
Rich yellow gold; not too
dark. Very slight hint of salt/bitter on the nose. Deliciously
rounded with a good, sharp edge. The Roquefort (€33 per
kilo) is initially submerged by the power of the wine but fights
back, and leaves you with a "wow! what a combination" feeling.13.5%
Mitchells €16.50
4. Wairau River, Sauvignon B lanc,
Marlborough, NZ 2001
Light, silvery white.
Gooseberry and nettles, pineapple, lychees. Quite a bit of
astringency. Very fresh, good with food. Bit pricey. 13%
Served with Gortnamona goat's cheese.
Superquinn €15.22
5. Gewurtztraminer Hugel, Alsace,
France, 1999
Floral, fruity, light
with a big finish. Superb with the smoked Gubbeen. A complex,
well-made wine with a smoky flavour to match the cheese. 12.5%
Magic Carpet €14.35
6. Jaboulet Parallelle 45, Cotes du Rhone, France, 1999
Served blind, and didn't taste like any of us remembered at all. In
fact it was fairly awful. I generally like this. Was it the
year, the winemaker (Gerard Jaboulet died in 1997), was it just off?
€?
7. Rust en Vrede, Caernet Sauvigno, Stellenbosch, South
Africa, 1998 
Nice, mid-red
colour. Not a huge nose, quite astringent. On
the palate huge fruit, then a finish that is quite stern. Goes well
with the cheese, a red Leicester. Serious wine at a semi-serious
price.
O'Brien's €18.58
8. Candido, Duca d'Aragona, Rosso del
Salento, vdt, Italy, 1995
Mid red, clean and
clear. Quite a stern nose. Big burn, fruit, prunes.
Negro Amaro and Montepulciano (+Aglioppo?) 14% Delicious with
Milleens.
McCabe's €18.00
9. Penfolds, Bin 128 Shiraz, Coonawarra,
Australia, 1998
Deep,
port-style red. Cleaner nose than the usual Shiraz. Quite a
soft, rounded feel. Not too much acid - maybe not enough. Ends
with loads of fruit. Very well made wine but disappointingly
one-dimensional this time (and I usually like it, giving it two stars last
time. Was it a baddish bottle?) 13.5% Served with a
delicious vintage Dubliner cheese.
€17.89
10. St. Hallett Blackwell Shiraz, Barossa, SA, 1997
Dark red, big nose with
fruit and oak and something else I couldn't define. This one is
definitely not soft and jammy; quite a burn, crunchy tannin, loads of
fruit (blackberry), plug tobacco. The Red Hot Dutch Edam is
brilliant with it - definitely worth a try. 14%
O'Brien's 17.89 (but €13.59 on the sale)
11. Cockburns 10 year old Tawny Port
Very pale. Slightly
burnt nose. Bitter sweet, lots of burn. Very nice, light but
strong. Goes beautifully with the Stilton - the salt is great, with
the oily end to the port setting it off beautifully. 20%
Superquinn €17.38