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Its golden envelope time and
so this week saw the National Off-Licence Association (Noffla) announce their
Oscars or ‘wines of the year’ at the self proclaimed ‘Irish Wine Show’. We’ll taste three of the winning wines on the Moncreiff Show this Friday
(31/8/07) and pass judgement
Noffla represent the independent off licences in Ireland, the mostly family run shops under pressure from the power of the bigger groups and supermarkets. This wine competition is meant to showcase some of the kind of wines that you might find in their shops rather than in the supermarket aisle. The wines are divided up into price brackets, colour and New or Old World and initially judged by Noffla’s best tasters, mostly WSET diploma holders and looking at the list they are a good bunch. A short list was drawn up and put before the Sunday Tribune’s John Wilson and Master of Wine Jane Boyce, both fine tasters.
That’s the theory anyway. So why did the list of winners include Mouton Cadet Bordeaux Blanc and Campo Viejo Reserva Rioja. Nothing much wrong with the wines but why were they even in the contest, as they are hardly the sort of wine that you head to an independent for?
Anyway, a list of winners can be viewed
here. I’ve tasted them all and will put notes up on them asap but in the mean time we’ll taste three in studio. First is
Green Point NV Brut, the Sparkling winner, at €24.99 and this is a firm favourite of mine and a testament to the skill’s of Moet & Chandon’s Australian outpost’s MD, Tony Jordan and winemaker Matt Steel. Head office could learn a few tricks from these boys.
Rosé of the year (from New or Old World) was Torres Santa Digna Cabernet Rosé from Chile at €10.99, giving all you’d want in terms of fresh cherry and berry fruit from a pink wine.
My favourite red amongst the winners was Errazuriz Max Reserva Cabernet
2003, a very classy, elegant wine at €15.99. I thought it was way better than the overall winner and wine of the year Beringer Old Vine Zinfandel Red, Founders Estate, 2004 at €13.99.
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