On Sunday, 12th November 2017, after watching the Remembrance Day parade to pay tribute to those who lost their lives to protect our way of life, I made my way to the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter. As usual, this took place at the prestigious Landmark Hotel in Marylebone. There were over 500 wines from 100 producers spanning 18 countries: a mammoth tasting session lay in store.

Surprising wines

Looking at the list of vineyards attending, there didn’t seem to be as many big names here as other years. However, the event didn’t disappoint. In fact, there were plenty of pleasant surprises, which reinforced why I love wine so much. The diversity of styles and flavours was amazing.  And just when you think you have decided on your favourite wine, another one pops up to broaden your tastes.

Fine wine highlights

There were many highlights – too many to list here. With difficulty, I have narrowed down the list to my top five:

1. Rosé with oak. From Château d’Esclans in Provence, in the south of France, the Les Clans 2016 was fascinating. Whilst it had the elegant pale colour you would expect from that particular region, the flavours were big and bold, helped by fermenting the wine in oak barrel. It tasted of ripe, refreshing strawberries but with a nutty creaminess.

 

2. Bubbles with a difference. At the Saint Clair Family Estate stand, famous for their Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, I tried something rather unusual. It was called ‘Vicar’s Choice Sauvignon Blanc Bubbles’. I had never tried a bubbly sauvignon blanc before! You could the taste familiar grassy, gooseberry characteristics of the grape, but then there was this big hit of bold, bright bubbles. Very refreshing!

 

3. Turkish delights. Another first for me at the show was tasting wines from Turkey. I visited Kavaklidere winery, which has been making wines in Turkey since 1929.  Their Prestige Kalecik Karasi was a soft, fruity delight whilst their Prestige Boĝazkere had strong, firm tannins (which you can tell from the dry sensation at the front of your mouth) and was very well-balanced.

 

4. Beautiful Beychevelle. I’ll alway remember trying a 2007 Beychevelle from Bordeaux – the first fine wine I had tasted. The finish was long and the fruit flavours were intense. This time, they had a 2013 on offer, which was unusual as I was aware that 2013 had been a very difficult year, resulting in less elegant wines. However, I really enjoyed tasting it – the wine was drinking very easily now, so now need to lay it down and wait, as with many of the top Bordeaux wines from recent vintages.

 

5. Wine of the show.  There were many contenders, but I have to give the award to El Enemigo from Mendoza in Argentina. The surprise for me was that it wasn’t a pure Malbec, which I love, but it was their Single Vineyard El Cepillo – a blend of Cabernet Franc (85%) and Malbec (15%). It was stunning! Rich, ripe berry flavours with subtle spice and smooth, silky tannins. Heaven in a glass!

 

Wine encounter verdict

Overall, the quality seems to keep getting better each year and the boundaries keep being pushed. It was a thoroughly enjoyable event and I can’t wait until the next one!

Did you go? What did you think? Email paul@thecuriousgrape.co.uk with your comments.