Tasting can be Child's Play.

12 November 2005.

Does your nine-year old know about wine? I didn't think so. So when I was asked to organise a wine tasting for some friends I thought Andrew, the nine-year old, would just go and play with his play-station and leave the adults to do the boring stuff, sticking their noses in glasses. I was wrong. Right from the start he was up for it. Together with his auntie he was sniffing away and making his notes, quite the professional. Ok, he thought he could smell used rubber, when I think he meant used eraser, but let's not split hairs.

I was amazed when he volunteered that one of the wines was like a 'cruise ship wine' and even more amazed when that turned out to be the Chablis Premier Cru. I give up, he's a natural.

The tasting was done fully blind and we had two Chardonnays, two Sauvignon Blancs (one of them a blend) and two Rieslings (one of them, unusually also a blend). The family are no great fans of red wine, so we stuck to white.

Here they are in order of merit:

Fortunato
Chardonnay NV
Venezie IGT - Italy
Sunday Times Wine Club - £5.00 (as part of 12-bottle case)

I'm very pleased this wine did as well as it did. It has been a favourite of mine for quite a while. And now we've proved it, it beats Chablis at twice the price hands down. Although it does not bear a vintage, I think this is the latest version and therefore more than likely 2004.

A mild marzipan nose, banana compote and almonds. The palate is fresh and long. Zingy lemon and very lively. This is not a massively complex wine but it will please the deserving guests.

5 Stars (26.5/30)

Clos du Val d'Eleon
Marc Kreydenweiss
Alsace - France
Boutique Vini, Riquewihr - €15.70 (£11.99 UK '98)

A very aromatic blend of Riesling and Pinot Gris, grown bio-dynamically, it immediately hits you with organic honey, pine and apples, almost like calvados. The palate is complex and long. Apples and a slight earthiness, a bit like rusty iron. The finish lasts forever showing the quality. This wine did not please everyone and I suppose it is a bit of an acquired taste, but it's very unique. 

4 Stars (21/30)

French Connections
Sauvignon Blanc - Grenache 2003
Vin de Pays Portes de Mediterranee - France
Most supermarkets - £3.29 (£2.98 on special offer)

This was the wildcard of the evening and none of us got this one. We rated it quite highly as the score shows, but I was convinced it was a Chardonnay. The bananas, slight woody note and the light vegetal nose all pointed to that. It has a medium body, lightly fruity. This certainly is not a typical Sauvignon Blanc although it is quite tart. Described as a party wine, certainly at that price.

3 Stars (20/30)

Knappstein Riesling 2003
Clare Valley - Australia
Peckham's of Glasgow - £7.99

Another Riesling, this time from the Clare Valley, Australia's 'home' for Riesling.

Classic Riesling nose, with some petrol character building up already. It indicates an early ageing wine. This character was also described as 'trainers left in the sun'. Pleasant or not, make up your own mind. On the palate this is very fresh, with limey fruit and a good length. Easy drinking for the holidays if you get past the nose, which not everyone likes.

3 Stars (19/30)

Chablis Premier Cru
Tesco Finest 2001
France
Tesco - £9.99

A disappointing score for Tesco's Premier Cru Chablis. Between this and the Fortunato, I would choose the Fortunato every time. The nose is green and almost non-existent. A hint of vanilla just shows through. The palate is acidic, a bit sharp, but quite fresh. Our expert nine-year old described it perfectly as a 'cruise ship wine'. Let's leave it at that then.

3 Stars (16/30)

Bergsig 2004
Sauvignon Blanc
Breede River Valley - South Africa
Sunday Times Wine Club - £6.39 (2005)

The Bergsig had the hallmark of new world Sauvignon Blanc, gooseberry nose, canned asparagus and a bit grassy. The palate really lets it down though. It's plain lemon, very tart and no great length, just a lot of sharpness. Some of us didn't mind it and thought it was alright as a Friday night wine. The scores were unanimous though, no conferring required.

2 Star (12/30)

For those of you absolutely appalled at the fact we involved a nine-year old boy in a tasting, don't worry, none of us condone under-age drinking, but they say it's all in the nose. At the same time I believe that teaching a child a responsible attitude to drinking is an important part of their upbringing. In a small way this conscious tasting for a child is a great introduction.