Wine Appreciation Group 1
When two wine experts at a dinner party argue over whether Sicily or South Africa’s Western Cape produce the better wines, the only thing to do is explore the
range and taste them for yourself. This is exactly what happened to WAG 1 member AnneMarie Parker, who promptly turned the exercise into an intriguing and delightful talk and tasting for the August meeting. “Both are hot climates near mountains and near water and both have improved greatly in recent years,” she said. They are equidistant north and south of the equator and roughly the same size.
No doubt improved quality owes much to changes in production methods. Anne-Marie pointed out that where once Sicily was poor relation to Italy, it now leads the way, notably with grapes such as the Nero d’Avola, indigenous to Italy and a rising star in the “ferment”, used for the Sicilian Cardilla 2022, available from Lidl (£7.50).
Finding good Sici
lian wine in and around Hertford is, however, not easy; it seems we have not yet taken to them. “It was quite a search but they are there,” Anne-Marie told the group. Moreover, all wines she selected were affordable (£7-11.99) from Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Tesco and Waitrose. In particularly, the Stemmari Passiata 2021 from Waitrose, blending Nero D’Avola and Syrah grapes, proved very impressive.
If the pursuit of fine affordable wines appeals to you, why not join us and learn more about wine generally in genial company and a casual atmosphere. We meet at 7.30pm on the fourth Thursday of every month at Waterford village hall, High Road, Waterford. For more information, contact: Mike Faganor Ian Nash