Essex County Wine Society

Essex County Wine Society

January 16, 2012

Dear Fellow Wine Society Members and Friends,

I guess the word about Priorat wine is out! I'm pretty sure that this month's tasting was the first time we have had a sellout crowd in January. First let me commend Nuris Portuondo for putting on such a great display of top quality wine from Priorat and sharing her knowledge about them. A terrific effort for a "first-timer".  It is always easy to tell if the wines were good by the number of people that stay afterwards and search all the bottles on the table up front looking for another taste. It was clear from the voting that there was a wine for everyone. Of the 10 wines 7 received 15 or more votes for Wine of the Night. The top wine was the #10 wine, the 2006 Vall Llach Idus, which garnered 35 votes. This wine is a blend of 40% Cariñena, 20% Merlot, 15% Garnacha, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Syrah.  A close second with 31 votes was the 2007 Mas Doix Costers made from 50% Cariñena, 48% Garnacha, and 2% Merlot. The wine that seemed to generate the most heated discussion was  wine #5, the 2004 Merum Ardiles, which came in third with 20 votes. It is a blend of 45% Garnacha, 34% Cariñena, 18% syrah, and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon.  We enjoyed a wide range of wines across 6 vintages and a variety of blends of 3-5 grape varieties.  Now I would like someone to do a mini vertical tasting of a couple of the top Priorat wines to get a clearer idea of the aging potential (any volunteers?).

Our next tasting event will be held Thursday, February 2, 2012 and will feature top red wines from the Stellenbosch wine area of South Africa. This is the first tasting of South African wines that we have held and our Trustee, Bob Slusarczyk, has been working hard for the last year and a half to search out some of the best examples being produced. We can thank Nelson Mandela (election 1994) for ending South Africa's isolation and opening up the global wine market to the South African wines.  Massive investment of money and talent followed and now many wines are being produced that are truly world class.  South Africa has again become an exciting wine producing area well worth your consideration.  Remember the outstanding  Klein Constantia vin de Constance dessert wine served at the Spring Dinner last May? Bob Slusarczyk has made a few comments about the tasting:

" South Africa’s wine history dates back over 300 years. Unfortunately, South Africa has had a difficult time joining the ranks of competitive winemaking countries. There were many setbacks in the beginning, chiefly because of the farmers' ignorance of viticulture. The 20^th century ushered in a period of renewal for the wine industry, spearheaded by the Ko-operatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika Beperkt, or KWV, a cooperative that attempted to restabilize the wine market by controlling prices and supply.  While opinions differ on the effectiveness of the KWV's efforts, the cooperative set the stage for expansion of South Africa's modern wine industry.  The University of Stellenbosch opened in 1918; today the university is one of South Africa's leading centers of education for winemakers. During the anti-apartheid sanctions in the 1980s, South African wine was dealt a huge blow when it was removed from the international market.  Things are finally looking up for the wine industry here, and quality has never been higher.  Currently around 100 145 ha (252 400 acres) of vines producing wine grapes are under cultivation over an area some 800 km (500 miles) in length. These vineyards are cultivated by some 4 000 primary

producers and wine is made in more than 560 wineries.  We will taste red wines from the Stellenbosch wine region, considered the premier wine region of the Cape.  Stellenbosch remains at the forefront of growth in the wine industry and the center of the South African wine trade.    Stellenbosch lists more than 140 wineries and producers boasting nearly all the most famous international names in South Africa’s wine trade." 

The cost for the tasting is $62 for members and $74 for guests. Please be sure to get your reservation form and payment to our Treasurer, Peter Ballance no later than Friday, January 27, 2012.

The December and January  tastings were sellouts and included many new guests. Remember your guests are always welcome.

When: Thursday, February 2, 2012

Place: Montclair Women's Club, 82 Union St., Montclair, NJ 07042

Time: 7:30pm Aperitif,  8:00pm tasting

Hope to see you all in February!

Dennis Roland  

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P.S. We are heading back to France for the final two tastings this season on March 1st (2009 Northern Rhone Reds) and April 5th (2009 Red Burgundy) be sure to mark your calendars .

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