Naked Wines Tasting Tour, Royal Armouries, Leeds - July 2011

The Royal Armouries, Leeds

www.nakedwines.com

The second floor of The Royal Armouries War Museum in Leeds was an interesting choice of venue for this wine tasting extravaganza. On arrival we were given a glass, a booklet listing the wines and growers and a warm welcome.

The venue was a good choice because this was a light airy space with some bench style seating, although most people chose to stand. The room was laid out with tables for different countries and their growers with of course the wines. One of the really great things about this tasting event was the opportunity to meet and talk to the wine producers.

The procedure was to pour a small quantity of a wine of choice into your glass and taste it. That is either imbibe and swallow or swill and spit. The whole approach was very informal and it was possible to help yourself to whatever you wanted. Fortunately there was also a table with cheeseboards, pickle and relish, grapes and baskets of assorted crackers to soak everything up!

I’m no wine expert, I simply know what I like, but luckily I had friends and family members with me who were a bit more informed. Therefore there follows a round- up of our favourites on the night: 

France and Italy

Domaine O’Vineyards O’Syrah 2008 (Ryan and Joe O’Connell). This was considered to be a lighter red with rhubarb undertones.

II Barone Pinot Grigio 2010 (Alessandro Botter). Described as a Pinot Grigio that was ‘nearly dry’.

Spain and Portugal

Carlos Rodriguez Rioja Reserva 2006 (Carlos Rodriguez). A soft and fruity, easy drinking, red wine with no after taste.

Montaria 2010 (Antonio Ventura). Considered to be a full bodied red with blackberry overtones and a lingering finish.

Negriros Douro Reserva (Mario Negreiros). Red described as having a blackcurrant and treacle bouquet and being woody, strong and substantial on the palate.

Germany, Austria, Slovenia

Tilia Estate Pinot Gris 2010 (Matjaz Lemut). Medium dry white with  grapey overtones.

New Zealand and Australia

Blackwood Ridge Shiraz 2008 (Matt and Sam).  A plummy red.

Ladies who shoot their lunch Riesling (Matt and Sam). A very light, smooth and just sweet white wine. Delicious.

Chile, Argentina and South Africa

Arabella Viognier 2011. A strong white, recommended with spicy foods (Stephen de Wet).

Arabella Chenin Blanc 2011 (Stephen de Wet). A light and fruity white, nice and refreshing.

Fizz, dessert and port

Tarlant Tradition Champagne NV (Melanie Tarlant) – The pick of the bunch in my opinion: Very light, crisp and refreshing.

Borgo Dei Sassi Pinot Rosato NV (Alessandro Botter). Described as sparkling and refreshing with rose with a sharp note which is pleasant on the palate.

As you can see there was a huge variety of wines on offer. There were some good deals to be had on the night with the cost averaging at about £5 a bottle. There are certainly several reasonably priced wines on the website too and this event undoubtedly succeeded in effectively promoting the idea of buying good wine online from independent growers.

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