Hello DiVine members! We sure started March off right with our 3/1 meeting. This month we had our special tasting event hosted by Anu Karwa, CEO of Swirl Events. Anu was kind enough to journey out to Queens and brought along 5 lovely wines plus a nice prosecco as a starter, three cheeses, crackers, chocolates, and a wealth of knowledge. She guided us through the tasting process and helped us to really appreciate what we were seeing, smelling, and tasting. She even guided us through her own version of rating the wines -- by comparing the qualities of the wine to the personalities of various celebrities. It was a lot of fun and we had a lovely time. Here are the wines we tasted:
Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, 2007, Marlborough, New Zealand -- Anu says New Zealand wines are on the come up, and sauvignons from Marlboro are especially good. This one was a pleasant surprise for me since I usually find sauvignons to be light and somewhat tasteless. The Oyster Bay had many fruity layers to it, was almost candylike on the nose (it reminded me of Now & Laters) and not too dry, and had a good finish.
Thabani Merlot, 2002, Coastal Region, South Africa -- At my request, Anu provided a wine from an African-American distributor (yes, Anu takes requests!). This merlot from a South African winery was very bold and gave off hints of tobacco and spice on the nose. Anu says this one was made to age and could have gone another two years before opening, so if you liked it, purchase a bottle, hold on to it for a while, and see what happens!
Pure Love Wines Layer Cake Primitivo, 2006, Puglia, Italy -- Hooray for Layer Cake! Because Anu and I had discussed the Layer Cake shiraz, a previous DiVine club favorite, she brilliantly provided this primitivo by the same producer, and it did not disappoint. The primitivo is made from the zinfindel grape. It was very smooth and not too sweet, with berries on the nose and tongue; lighter and simpler than the shiraz but with enough classiness to please. A very nice drinking wine.
Galil Mountain Winery, Yiron, 2003, Galilee, Israel -- The club has tried an Israeli wine in the past and as with that one, this was not a fave. The taste was acceptable, but the wine rapidly disappeared on the tongue, leaving no lasting impression.
Kristof, Muscat Ottonel, 1997, Hungary -- I informed Anu that many of our members were fond of dessert wines and she brought this highly enjoyable muscat, which immediately became a favorite. Unlike muscats the club has tried before, the Kristof had no bubbles. Smooth, with a nice sunny color, the wine had just the right amount of sweet, not at all syrupy or cloying. This was a hit.
Anu has sent along an order form we can use to order any of the wines we tried through her (all except the muscat, which, true to her word, she is working on getting a contact for). If you did not receive the order form and would like to have it, just let me know and I can forward it to you.
If you'd like to know more about Swirl Events, you can go to their website: swirlevents.com. And Anu is our newest club member, with an open invitation to attend any of our future meetings. Welcome, Anu!
In other club news, welcome also to new member Charleen Bruno, who attended for the first time and learned that she reeeeeally likes port! She also raved about the club at our meeting of the Chat and Chew Book Club the next day; so sweet of her! Glad to have you join the family, Charleen!
Oh, and we have a slogan! You may now refer to yourselves as the members of the DiVine Company Wine Club of Queens NY: Winos with Knowledge. We have no T-shirts yet, but who knows what the future may hold?
Our next meeting is Saturday, April 12, where we will sample wines of France. For this meeting please bring a French wine of your choice, information about that wine, and your $10 dues. See you then!
Happy sipping!
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