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Summer wines on a rainy day

I had billed this as a tasting of wines for the summer so it was inevitable that it would be raining although only half an hour before the start we were still thinking about having the tasting outside!

This was an opportunity to show some new wines and some old favourites too. New wines included both the Prosecco and Pinot Grigio from Grandi e Gabana, the former proving one of the most popular wines of the tasting. Other popular whites included new vintages from Domaine des Anges and Domaine Brusset's Cairanne "Les Travers" (both 2012) and the ever-popular Domaine des Malandes Chablis.

The most controversial white was Serradenari's "Mone" which some wondered what they would pair it with - I suggested they could simply enjoy it on its own.

I was pleased with the success of the Saria Barbera "Convento". One taster, a self-confessed fan of Bordeaux and South-West France, couldn't work around the inevitable acidity but most loved the fruit and could envisage this with a barbecue or tomato-based meal. Rightly so. The Nebbiolo divided opinion (good! It is nearly sold out) between those who like Italian wines and those who don't. It was my wine of the tasting.

French successes were more even between Domaine de Cristia's VDP Vieilles Vignes and Alain Jaume's Lirac (which we are told really is "Clos des Sixte" even if the labelling is wrong! We have tasted it alongside a bottle of estate-purchased CdS and can't find any difference).

One really pleasing result was the popularity of the two sweet wines on show: the Grasso Moscato d'Asti and Filippo Gallino's Birbet, the latter a novelty to most but well received by those brave enough to taste it.

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