Taste Edinburgh - Part 2 Bordeaux Whites

Bordeaux Whites £5-£10
The two whites in the £5-£10 range were very light. The first Chateau Bonnet from the appellation Entre Deux Merswhich lays south Creon and south of the Dordogne, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc (45), Semillon (35) and Sauvignon Gris (15). Clean and crisp with lemony twist. I don’t pick up much grassiness from the Sauv Blanc as this I think has been tempered by the Semillon. It’s an okay wine for the price.
The Premius from the appellation Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc (90) and Semillon (10). Its colour is very pale; to taste it’s a bit disappointing. It’s clean and fresh like the first but it lacks complexity. There are some fruit flavours such as pear and melon. If you like a very light easy drinking wine then this is for you.
Bordeaux Whites £10-£15
We have Grand Enclos de Cerons from the appellation Bordeaux a blend of Semillon (70), Sauvignon (21) and Sauvignon Gris (9). It’s looks more viscous in the glass (although it’s quite hard to tell in the little plastic cup we are using, a really awful way of tasting) and has a deeper colour. To taste: it’s fresh with a good balance of acidity, ripe summer fruits with a hint of spice, rather lovely I think.
Madlys de Sainte-Marie again from the Entre-duex-Mers is another good example of a light white wine. Sauvignon Blanc (62), Semillon (28) and Muscadelle (10). Definite floral notes on the nose, honeysuckle and nectar. To taste: it’s sweeter than expected and holds the floral aspect, with ripe pears. But there’s also a hint of flint and sulphur. A nice cheeky easy drinking wine.

Taste Edinburgh - Bordeaux

The ladies on this stand were not from the vineyards themselves but were there because they liked Bordeaux wines and were promoting the region as a whole.
Laura Clay guided me through there tasting with a passion for each and every one. The French wine industry has been struggling against fierce global competition and it’s good to see a region pulling together to increase peoples awareness of what the region has to offer. Bordeaux is located 45 degrees latitude north. It fills the riverbanks of the Gironde Rive and continues south along the Dordogne. To the west is the Atlantic Ocean, the Landes forest provides a natural wind break for the vineyards. Terroir is diverse with clay, gravel, chalk and limestone present across the 57 appellations. Laura provided a booklet A Guide to Bordeaux Wines, a leaflet about the l’Ecole du Vin, a very informative mini guide to the Bordeaux region and a copy of the magazine Bordeaux, Uncork The Potential. All of which have are great sources of information. Further information can also be found at www.bordeaux.com .We’re off the Loire this year but I think a visit to Bordeaux next year is certainly on the list now.
Now for the tasting – there’s a list of 77 wines that includes the name, appellation, vintage, price, blend, stockists, tasting notes and they all have a Decanter 2007 medal at the side of them, all Bronze or Silver. None are more than £15 a bottle a sign perhaps that Bordeaux is going for the easy drinking market. There are 12 available to try.

Taste of Edinburgh, The Meadows, 9th June 2007

The sun shone and temperatures increased as the afternoon slipped by. Nestled in the Meadows are of Edinburgh (so very different from the Meadows in Nottingham) a number of stands and marquees have been erected. Each one contains food delights from local restaurants such as First Coast and other food and wine companies from River Cottage to Leffe Beer.

I visited a number of the stands and thoroughly enjoyed the Leffe Beer Master Class, matching beer and food.

I have a few highlights to share with you so here goes with a series of summaries from that lovely afternoon.